Ava
by lasagnaparrilla
Summary: Regina had a child when she was a teenager but Cora forced her to give it up. The child grew until she was 16 and the curse struck. - Follows the life of the child finding out about her birth parents and the truth behind little old Storybrooke. Mainly Regina and Ava - MM and Emma definitely included too
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **A bit of coarse language.

* * *

**_The enchanted forest – Pre-Curse  
_**

"Regina darling" a sharp voice filtered through the air.

Regina slumped on the bathroom floor next to the toilet, throwing up her last meal until there was nothing left.

She flushed the toilet, threw water at her face, and was out the door in a second. "Yes mother?" she replied with a bitter tone in her voice.

Though she loved her mother, she despised the person she had become since magic had wiggled its way into her life.

"I have heard some strange rumors that have been going around the stables and I would like you to tell me whether these allegations are true or false"

Regina's stomach turned once more, and she thought she was about to hurl all over her mother.

"What is it mother?" she managed to force out. "Are you with child?"

Regina's eyes widened. "Answer me!" she spat with fury. Regina let out a small whimper before answering her mother's question.

"Yes" she couldn't believe her mother knew. What would she do to her? more importantly, to her baby?

"Oh god" was all Regina could say before making a sprint for the bathroom, with her mother closely following behind.

Cora pulled Regina's long locks out of her face as she threw up bile.

Tears began to fall and Regina immediately began apologizing

"Mother, I am so sorry! I never meant for any of this to happen, I just..I'm going to be a mother"

The words dribbled from her mouth as it finally sank in.

"Oh no, you most certainly are not" Cora stated as though she had some cunning plan up her sleeve.

"What?" Regina pushed the words out of her mouth and turned to her mother – shoving her hands away from her.

"You will not be becoming a mother any time soon"

"But I.. what's done is done mother, you can't stop this child from being born"

"Oh no, no I can't ..but I have a friend who will take him or her off of our hands when they are"

Regina began to sob, knowing she could not over power her mother,

and that she simply had to face the fact that she would not be able to keep her precious baby.

Cora left the bathroom without another word, and Regina forced herself up and headed for her bedchamber.

She lay curled up on her bed, placing a gentle hand on her stomach, while she wept for the child she would not be able to call her own.

Cora paced towards her study, dragging her feet along the stone floor.

"I summon thee, Rumplestiltskin" she called.

Turning towards the balcony she heard a high pitched voice.

"Hello there deary, long time no see".

"Rumple" she said in a low voice as a 'hello'. "I have a proposition for you." She held out a contract.

He took the ragged piece of parchment from the older woman, and began to read.

"My Regina, she's pr.." "egnant, yes deary, I already know that" he finished her sentence, followed by an eerie chuckle.

After reading the contract, which felt like it had taken an eternity, Rumple finally spoke up.

"You want to give me Regina's child?" he asked rhetorically

" and I would like for you to ensure that the child gets this."

Cora took off a silver ring from her finger, which had three diamonds on it and placed it in his hand.

"What do you want in return?" he questioned suspiciously. "I want you to enact a spell that will prevent Regina from..showing"

"Why is that? Do you think this will get in the way of her marriage to king Leopold?"

Rumple asked jokingly, knowing he was right.

"Is it a deal or not?"

Cora stated in a stern and serious voice, completely dismissing his comment.

"Deal"

and with that, Rumplestiltskin signed the contract which gave him the right to Regina's child.

* * *

Ava was a lovely girl – She volunteered at the hospital, got along with the majority of people in town, and had an overall lovable personality.

Everyone always wondered how the apple fell so far from the tree.

Her father was not a pleasant man, and he went by "Mr. Gold".

No one actually knew his first name, and no one ever really cared to ask.

All they knew was that he controlled everyone's lives, and the one he had the most power over was that of his 16 year old daughter,

Ava.

* * *

**_Storybrooke – pre-curse breaking_**

Because Ava was the nicest kid in Storybrooke, everyone seemed to underestimate her ability to rebel against anyone – especially her father.

It was a Thursday night and her dad was still working at his pawn shop.

She always knew she was adopted - I mean, she looked nothing like Gold, or the woman in the photo's she had found of someone called Milah

- whom she assumed was his ex wife but dared not ask about her.

Ava had Long dark brown hair, striking brown eyes, and an olive complexion.

It was pretty obvious they weren't blood related.

Ava had always wondered about her birth parents, and knew that her dad was keeping something from her.

She decided that if he wasn't going to tell her anything, she would find out for herself.

With pure determination, she walked upstairs and towards her father's office in their home and started to do some digging.

She found multiple bills – belonging to other people of course,

along with contracts and other types of paperwork that gave her dad the right to pretty much everything in the town.

She was just about to give up, when she noticed the locked drawer near the bottom of her dads desk.

She pulled the handle, but it wouldn't budge, so she looked around for keys.

Knowing her dad wouldn't be so careless to leave them lying around, she decided that she'd find her own way in.

Pulling a bobby pin from her hair, she began to try and pick at the lock.

After a few minutes, the draw finally opened. "Seriously? More papers" she said to herself in an agitated tone.

As she was prying through the papers, an old piece of paper caught her attention.

She pulled it out from beneath everything else and began to read.

The paper signed with her father's signature, gave him the child of "Regina Mills?! What the actual fuck!"

Ava stood in shock for a moment. "No way in hell am I the kid of the mayor, she's the biggest bitch in town" she spoke aloud to herself.

A moment later, Ava heard footsteps from downstairs. "Ava" her father yelled.

'shit, shit, shit' she thought as she quickly put the parchment back into the drawer, carefully closing it so her father couldn't hear.

She darted across the hall into her bedroom, where she sat on her bed pretending to text just as her father walked in.

"Hello dear, how was school?"

"It was fine"

she couldn't help but sound a little pissed off because of the information she had just learnt.

Mr. Gold was confused by her attitude, but decided to leave it..

for now anyway.

* * *

**So there you go! I have many more ideas where to take this story, but will only keep going if people actually enjoyed it, and want to read more, so please leave me reviews and let me know what you think! all feedback is appreciated ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language.

* * *

Where we left off -

"Hello dear, how was school?"

"It was fine"

she couldn't help but sound a little pissed off because of the information she had just learnt.

Mr. Gold was confused by her attitude, but decided to leave it..

for now anyway.

* * *

_**Pre Curse Breaking**_

The following morning, Ava's dad insisted that he dropped her off at school.

Though she had planned on walking to "school" (and by school, I mean, Regina's- to ask her if she knew who she really was)

she finally gave into her dad, mainly to avoid him becoming suspicious of her in any way.

Her anger towards the whole situation had simmered down, but she began to feel a deep sense of hurt.

Why would Regina give her away, and instead adopt Henry a few years later?

Ava felt as though maybe Regina didn't think she was good enough for her.

That thought caused anger to rise up inside of her once again, and all she wanted to do was give Regina a piece of her mind.

Pulling up to the school gates, Ava gave her dad a peck on the cheek before thanking him for the ride.

She hopped out of the car and walked up towards the main building.

After ensuring that her dad's car had left, Ava turned around and headed to the huge mansion at 108 Mifflin Street

– otherwise known by the kids at school as "the Evil Queens cave".

As she stood out front of this huge house, Ava couldn't help but feel small and insignificant.

She put her had on the small and slightly rusted black gate, and was about to open it when she pulled back.

After standing there for a moment, twirling the ring on her finger, Ava decided she wasn't ready to face Regina.

Quickly turning to leave, she absentmindedly bumped into someone who was only inches behind her.

"Oh uh.. Madame Mayor, sorry about that.." she said awkwardly, avoiding all eye contact.

She knew it'd be rude to just walk off without letter Regina speak, so she stood with her head hanging low, waiting patiently for a response.

"You're Golds daughter am I right?"

"Uh.. yeah, you could say that" she said in a whisper.

"Ah, I thought so. Shouldn't you be at school? And why are you standing outside my house?"

"I.. uh.. well.. I better get back to school." Ava spat out. She felt at a loss for words.

Regina looked at her apprehensively.

Ava gave a small smile, which she had obviously faked, turned on her heel and began to power walk back to school – she needed to make it back for second period, because she had an art project due and she couldn't afford to fail it.

Regina stood in awe of the young girl. She had such beautiful features.

Regina had never noticed before because, well, she never really cared to look at anyone who she didn't find important.

This young girl reminded her a bit of herself. In fact, she looked just like Regina did at that age.

At this point Regina started to wonder what the girl's story was. Deep in thought, she spoke.

"No. Surely she can't be." She was thinking aloud. She shook her head and began to think she was going slightly crazy.

She could have sworn that, that young girl not only looked like her, but had similar facial expressions to her old love,

Daniel.

* * *

**_Pre- Curse._**

"Push Regina" Cora spoke in a soft tone. Regina hated how she was pretending to be polite to her.

"I AM TRYING MOTHER, IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS" she screeched.

Regina was never one to raise her voice, but considering the circumstances, she felt she could do whatever the hell she wanted to.

She pushed one final time and felt relieved when she heard the calming hum of her child's cry.

It was the most beautiful sound in the universe, and it was the last thing she heard before her world turned black.

Light began to seep through her eyelids, and Regina took a second to realise what had happened.

Her eyes opened and began darting around the room until they lay upon the person sitting next to her.

Regina realised that she was lying on her bed, and her mother wash holding a damp washcloth on her forehead.

"Hello dear" Cora said, not awaiting a reply from Regina "You passed out shortly after giving birth to a little girl.

The child is safe, and has been taken away into another realm where she will grow up with two loving parents who are ready to take on the responsibility."Regina tried to scream, but it was like she had forgotten how.

"You will need to get your act together for tomorrow – it's your big day after all.

We can't have you sick in bed" and with that, Cora pulled Regina up and looked into her eyes.

"There will be no mention of any of this to anyone, ever, do I make myself clear?"

Regina nodded, her eyes welling up with tears, which she forced back. She would not cry in front of her mother.

Her baby whom she didn't even get to meet had been ripped away from her, and Regina felt the last bit of humanity inside of her disappear.

After Daniels death, and now this, she had nothing to live for.

It was at this moment when she decided she would get her revenge on the one person who had single handedly ruined her life by telling her mother her secrets.

Snow White.

* * *

**_Pre-Curse Breaking._**

When Ava finally made it home after an exhausting day at school, she went straight to her bedroom, threw her bag on the floor and lay flat out on her bed.

She thought about her earlier encounter with Regina, and began to try and put together the pieces of the puzzle.

She sat up and found herself looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had never realised it before, but she did look quite a bit like Regina.

They both shared many features: they both had dark brown hair, the same shaped face; even their skin tone was similar.

One thing Ava knew for sure they didn't share was their personality.

To try and take her mind off things for a bit, Ava blasted her music and got started on her homework.

She knew her dad wouldn't be too happy if he got calls from her teachers saying she had failed to complete the work they had set.

Speaking of the devil, Mr. Gold got home when she was about 10 minutes in, and he climbed the stairs heading directly for Ava's bedroom.

Carelessly forcing her bedroom door open, he walked in and up to her desk where she was working.

"Where were you first period today Ava?" "In English" she lied

"That's funny considering I just received a call from your dean who said you weren't at school 1st period this morning, but I remember dropping you off in time, so you can't have been late."

"Maybe my teacher forgot to mark me on the roll" she argued.

"Ava Maria Gold, you really think I can't tell when you're lying?"

"Fine, I wasn't there"

"Where were you?"

Ava knew she couldn't lie to her dad because he'd just see straight through her. She plucked up the courage to tell him the truth.

"You really wanna know? I was at Regina's, you know, my_ birth_ mothers house."

Gold looked at her with an expression she had never seen before – it was a mixture of mainly anger and confusion.

"Yeah, you forgot to mention that my birth mom is the biggest bitch alive"

"You went through my stuff?" he growled, anger growing within him, and showing through his eyes.

"Yeah, and I found your stupid contract. It's not like you were ever going to tell me anything, so I had to go looking myself, what did you expect?"

Ava was unaware of her raised her voice and had a stern looks plastered across her face.

This was the first time she had ever really stood up to her father, and she wasn't going to lie, it felt pretty fucking good.

"That was in a locked draw with MY personal belongings, in MY office, in MY house. How dare you think you have the** right** to go through my stuff. You may live here, but you do not have any power over anything , I do – and that includes you."

The end of his statement sparked Ava off, and she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"YOU DON'T OWN ME. I'm not a object, I'm person.

You think you have control over everything in this fucking town, well guess what?

You don't have control over me. Not anymore. I've Always's done whatever you tell me to do.

I do well in school, I do my share of chores, and I stay out of trouble. I never have fun,

I have hardly any friends because you scare them off – never mind a boyfriend.

What do _you _do? What you're best at of course. Be an absolute asshole to EVERYONE.

I can't even believe you would say that, that contract is YOUR personal belonging, because NEWSFLASH dickhead,

it's my life, and if I want to know who I am, then I should bloody well be able to learn!"

Ava caught her breath, and Golds jaw dropped.

His daughter had never spoken to him like that before, and there was no way in hell he was going to let her get away with it

"You know what Ava, I.." but before he could say what he wanted to, Ava stormed out of the room, went downstairs, her father following her.

Just as she was about to slam the front door, she had one final thing to say.

"Go fuck yourself".

The words cut through the air, and the door crashed shut.

Tears started to flow down her cheeks.

Ava walked along the main street when she heard a gentle voice call out to her

"Ava, are you okay?"Ava turned around to face a woman who she'd met at the hospital while she was volunteering.

The woman was of an average height, had brunette hair, green eyes, and a smile that could light up the room.

It was Mary-Margaret Blanchard.

Being asked if she was okay only made more tears fall.

She ran into Mary-Margaret's arms, and let out a small "No" as she buried her face in the older woman's shoulder, her tears soaking the material

Mary-Margaret was the only person Ava felt comfortable to talk to about anything, and when in need of comfort

– she knew Mary-Margaret would be there for her.

* * *

**So thats chapter two! Please feel free to share any ideas on how the story could go - or what you would like to see and ill see what I can do :) Will try and get the next chapter up asap (as soon as i write it) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language.

* * *

Where we left off -

Ava walked along the main street when she heard a gentle voice call out to her

"Ava, are you okay?"Ava turned around to face a woman who she'd met at the hospital while she was volunteering.

The woman was of an average height, had brunette hair, green eyes, and a smile that could light up the room.

It was Mary-Margaret Blanchard.

Being asked if she was okay only made more tears fall.

She ran into Mary-Margaret's arms, and let out a small "No" as she buried her face in the older woman's shoulder, her tears soaking the material

Mary-Margaret was the only person Ava felt comfortable to talk to about anything, and when in need of comfort

– she knew Mary-Margaret would be there for her.

* * *

The two women stood there for a while. Ava had never felt so relieved to have someone comfort her.

Mary-Margaret began to pull back, and asked the burning question "What's going on Ava?"

Ava wiped the tears from her eyes and realised how silly she must have looked.

"I'm sorry, I just.. I had a bit of a..let's call it a disagreement with my dad"

"I know things can get tough at home sometimes – especially with an overbearing parent, but I don't think walking around by yourself at this time was the best of ideas"

Ava couldn't stop herself from letting out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You realise this is Storybrooke right? My dad is probably the most feared man in this town, I doubt anyone would try anything"

"Well, that may be true, but I'd rather you weren't alone, especially in your state"

Ava didn't know whether to take offence to the comment, or be happy that someone genuinely cared about her safety.

Just as Ava was about to speak, Sheriff Emma Swan pulled up in her little yellow VW bug- Emma was also Mary-Margaret's roommate.

"Hey, is everything alright ladies?"

"Yeah, everything's fine.. I'm gonna go, I'll see you guys around"

"Oh, Ava" Mary-Margaret said with worry in her voice. "Please be sure to call me if you need anything – and I mean anything at all okay?"

"Yes ma'am" Ava quickly blurted out and began to walk off- she knew the sheriff would insist on taking her home herself if she knew the current situation.

"Well, I'm on my way home; I suppose I could give you a lift?" Emma said jokingly, but Mary-Margaret was too busy watching Ava walk away to notice Emma talking.

"Mary-Margaret?" "Oh.. Uh yeah." Mary-Margaret got in the passenger seat, and they headed to their apartment.

Meanwhile, Ava walked. She walked where ever her legs would take her.

After what seemed like forever, Ava found herself back on Mifflin Street - A few houses away from number 108.

She crept up towards the house. She walked up to the black gate which she had almost pushed open before, but didn't have the guts to.

Placing her hand on it, she gently nudged it forward, and found herself walking towards the front door.

She had no idea what she was going to say, and decided that "Hey, I'm Ava, and I'm your daughter" probably wouldn't go down very well.

She didn't know what had gotten into her, but she had found a new sense of confidence.

Ava's knocks on the door mimicked the rhythm that Regina used when she knocked on doors, which immediately caught her attention.

Regina and Henry were having dinner at the time, and neither were expecting company.

"I don't recall us expecting anybody" she said as she gracefully patted her mouth with a napkin, and rose from her seat at the dining table.

She opened her front door to find the young girl whom she had a strange encounter with earlier.

Regina noticed the girls tear stained cheeks, and the remainder of her running mascara- she'd clearly been crying.

"Hello dear, what can I do for you?" "I..I..my name's Ava" was the best she could come up with.

"And mine is Regina, now I'll I ask you once again for the how many-ith time today? What can I do for you?" she said with an annoyed undertone in her voice.

This girl has done this twice in one day, and Regina was getting a bit sick of it.

"I.. I think, I'm.. your daughter" She went with the "won't go down well" option, because nothing else was coming to her.

Ava stared down at her feet-not sure how Regina would react – and didn't want to look directly into the eyes of rejection.

Henry heard the word "daughter" and bolted to the door."Hey, what's going on?" he said with in a chipper voice.

"Henry, go up stairs please" Regina said in a serious tone, not taking her eyes off of Ava.

Henry was about to protest when Regina let out a hasty "Now!"He turned around, and headed up the stairs, for his bedroom.

"Well.. are you going to come in, or would you prefer to stand out in the cold?" Regina said, trying to lighten the mood with humor- though she failed miserably.

Ava just looked up at her and smiled. They both went into the kitchen, and Regina offered multiple beverages, to each Ava declined.

"I'm sorry to bother you but.." "I don't really understand, are you 100% sure you're my daughter?"

"well, I found a contract which said that I was. It was signed by my dad, and someone named Cora who I just assume is a lawyer or something"

"She told me you were sent to another realm the lying" Regina mumbled under her breath. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing, it's just.." "A lot to take in? Yeah tell me about it, one second I'm the daughter of the biggest asshole in town the next I'm also the daughter of the biggest bit.."

She stopped right then when she realised she was talking to the "bitch" herself.

"Oh I, I didn't mean it like th" "Yes you did. I know I'm not the most likable person in this town – far from it in fact, but I prefer to be called Regina if you don't mind."

Ava's lips curled into a small smile "Sorry"

"Oh, no need to be sorry dear, I've had much worse"

"No, not that, well yeah that too, but I.. What I meant to say, was that I'm sorry for barging in here and imposing on your life like I had every right to. I just had nowhere else to go"

The end of her sentence slipped out of her mouth and she immediately regretted saying it.

Though it was hard to believe, she found Regina quite easy to talk to.

Regina's eyes scanned Ava's face, and she could read her like a book.

"Your father doesn't know you're here does he?"

Ava slowly shook her head.

"I assume you've had a fight. Does he even know that you know who I am?"

"Yeah..that was kind of the reason why we had an argument."

"I see.. well I think you should call him, let him know that you're safe. If Henry had run off, I know I'd be worried sick"

Henry. Ava hadn't even thought about the fact that he was right there when she broke the news to Regina.

"I guess so, could I borrow your phone please?" "Sure, it's just around the corner." Ava stood up and went in the direction Regina pointed towards.

Surely enough, the phone was there, and Ava began to dial the number.

Taking a deep breath in, she prepared herself for whatever was to come at her.

The phone only rang once before her dad answered. He had calmed down significantly since their ordeal.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you Ava, I just wish you hadn't gone through my things without having my permission to do so. You completely disregarded my right to privacy"

"Yeah, well maybe if you had just answered my questions -honestly- then I wouldn't have had to" a tinge of anger in her tone.

"Look, I'm not arguing with you again Ava, you are never to pull a stunt like that again or"

"or what? You're gonna throw me out? Go ahead, it's not like you actually give a shit about me anyway"

"Ava! That's it, where are you?"

"none of your damn business"

she hung up the phone knowing he'd know exactly where she was, but if he had any sense, he wouldn't dare come looking for her.

"That didn't go too well I take it" Regina was standing behind her with a drink of what looked like scotch in her hand.

"We're not exactly on the best of terms, no.."

"Well, I do have a guest room if there's nowhere else you'd rather be."

"Oh, thanks, that's really kind of you, but you really don't have to"

"I think I do"

Ava stood there awkwardly.

Why would she feel she had to look out for her? She gave her up in the first place, so what made anything different now?

"Thank you" Ava smiled, having no other options, she accepted Regina's offer and followed her up the stairs towards the bedroom.

"Wow, this is amazing"

"Thank you dear."

Ava stood in awe of the immaculate room which was "fit for a queen" so to say.

It was elegantly designed and just screamed 'Regina'.

Silence grew within the room and sat for what felt like an eternity.

This was until Ava finally got sick of it, and decided to ask the question she'd wanted to ask her birth mother ever since she was old enough to understand what 'adoption' meant.

"Why did you give me up?" She said in a whisper which barely left her lips.

Regina was startled by the question at first, but realised it was inevitable and so she instructed Ava to sit on the bed.

"I'm just going to check on Henry, then I'll be right back to answer your question"

"Ok" Ava sat down on the bed, and it curved to fit her body shape.

Everyone thought Regina was a horrible person, but Ava guessed they hadn't seen this side of her before – hell, even she had never seen the woman be so nice in her life.

In no time, Regina was back and she held something small in her hand.

She sat next to Ava and began to explain.

"First of all, I need you to know that I didn't want to give you were taken from me and I had no choice in the matter.

Cora is.. was.. my mother. She had no faith that I could raise a child – I was, after all about your age when I had you, and I have to admit, I wasn't ready, but if given the opportunity, I would have grown up quickly."

Ava's heart began to melt, as her mother's words engraved themselves in her mind.

'I didn't want to give you up'.

Ava could feel her eyes begin to well up again.-Her tear ducts had been well abused today.

She looked into Regina's eyes and saw that she already had a single tear rolling down her face.

"For years, I've tried looking for you. Apparently I looked too hard and failed to see what was right in front of me."

Ava felt a bit more comfortable now, and spoke up "So, you didn't even know I was your daughter, but my dad knew all along?" she thought aloud.

"I've_ always _wanted to find my birth parents, because I never really felt like my dad loved me, and I know that sounds horrible, but it's like I'm only there for show. Anyway, he refused to tell me anything, so I went looking for myself. I found the contract that signed me over to him – but I only saw the names before my dad got home and I had to quickly put everything back in place – though now I see there wasn't much point" Ava rambled on, and Regina's heart sank in her chest.

Her hatred for Gold grew even more. Why did he not tell her? – He knew she was looking because she went to him for help.

Then she clicked. HE was her mother's "friend" that had supposedly taken her child to another realm.

But that's the thing, Ava wouldn't be here if that were true, so either Cora lied, or Rumple did.

Either way, Regina wouldn't have enacted the curse if she had known her daughter was still in the enchanted forest.

Rumple knew all along. He encouraged her to enact the curse. Her want to scream and yell at Rumplestiltskin grew stronger.

He won't even know what's hit him the next time they see each other.

Regina realised that Ava had stopped talking.

She grabbed Ava's hand and placed the small object in it.

"Here. This is yours. I was going to make sure it went with you, but I fainted when I gave birth, and never even got the chance to meet you."

The item was a small golden charm in the shape of a horse.

"It was mine from when I was a little girl, and I wanted my little girl to have it."

Ava looked up at Regina and instinctively hugged her.

Regina was initially shocked by the interaction, but quickly embraced Ava.

She had finally gotten to meet and hug her little girl.

* * *

**Annnnnd there's chapter three! Please leave reviews, ideas, anything! I would love to know what you guys think of the story so far :) - just incase you're wondering, I do intend on going post curse breaking - and since Ava was 16 in her old life, she was old enough to know who the evil queen was ;) just keep that in mind! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language.

* * *

Where we left off -

"Here. This is yours. I was going to make sure it went with you, but I fainted when I gave birth, and never even got the chance to meet you."

The item was a small golden charm in the shape of a horse.

"It was mine from when I was a little girl, and I wanted my little girl to have it."

Ava looked up at Regina and instinctively hugged her.

Regina was initially shocked by the interaction, but quickly embraced Ava.

She had finally gotten to meet and hug her little girl.

* * *

The following morning, Ava awoke to the smell of Sizzling bacon and eggs.

She opened her eyes, and freaked out at the fact that she had no idea where she was- until she remembered exactly where she was, and why she was there.

Dragging herself out of the bed, she changed back into her clothes –and out of the silk night gown Regina had loaned her.

She headed down stairs and was about to sneak out the front door, not wanting to cause any further hassle for Regina considering what she had just put her through.

She made the floor boards creak as she neared the door. "Ava, is that you?" she heard Regina's voice echo into the foyer where she stood.

She remained silent, but could hear the sound of stilettos tapping along the floor towards her.

Regina walked around the corner looking stunning – which Ava found weird considering it was only 7:30am, then again she was the mayor which would require her to look and act her best early in the morning.

Regina eyed Ava warily "Where are you off to this early in the morning? I've made breakfast for us all.. assuming you want to stay for breakfast that is." "Oh uh" she saw the look on Regina's face – one to which she couldn't say 'no' to.

"Yeah, breakfast would be nice. Plus, whatever you're cooking smells delicious" Ava said with a smile on her face. – It was a Saturday, and it's not like she had any plans anyway.

"Bacon and eggs- they're Henry's favorite" Regina laughed

"Mine too" Ava quietly giggled.

Ava headed for the dining table, where Henry was, while Regina went to finish off cooking the food.

"Morning!" Henry pretty much yelled at the top of his lungs. "Morning" Ava smiled.

"So..what have you got there?" Ava asked, pointing towards Henry's leather book which she thought looked hundreds of years old. – Though that was a slight exaggeration.

"Oh, just um, some stories, you know, the classic fairytales – with twists "

"Cool, so you like to read stories?"

Ava tried to keep the conversation up so that they didn't have to sit in awkward silence – though she had a feeling that Henry didn't even know what awkward was considering he could practically talk to anybody with complete confidence.

"Yeah, but this book is more than just stories" "What is that supposed to mean?" Ava chuckled.

"It means that these aren't _just stories_, in fact, they're the complete opposite. They're all actually true."

"Really?" Ava played along.

"Yeah, the Evil Queen created a curse that sent all the people in it to another land, this one in fact– right here in Storybrooke, and it was all to get her revenge on Snow White."

"So you're telling me that you think every single person in this town is a fairytale character from this book, but they're all under a curse?"

"That's exactly what I am saying- I'm glad you can understand so quickly– not many people do "

Ava found the young boys theory amusing. "Well then, why don't any of them try to find a way back to their home?" she queried.

"Because none of them remember who they really are – the Evil Queen gave everyone fake identities. Go and ask anyone in this town to recall a memory or them meeting someone else in the town, and I can guarantee they will won't be able to."

"Wait, so who do you think everyone is?"

"Well, I only know a few so far, and I'm trying to figure out the rest. But I know that Mary-Margaret Blanchard – my teacher- is Snow White, the man in the coma at the hospital is her prince charming. Their daughter –the savior is Emma – my mom – and the Evil Queen is.."

Henry stopped when Regina walked into the room carrying their food. He hadn't mentioned anything to his mom because he knew who she really was.

Ava was confused because Henry stopped talking as soon as Regina walked in the room.

She shook it off and started to eat the food that was placed in front of her.

"This.. is.. really.. good" she said between bites, remembering how hungry she was since she had skipped dinner the night before.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, what about you Henry? Are your eggs cooked well enough?"

Henry quickly glanced up at her and nodded. Ava found the way the two of them interacted, strange.

"Well, I'd better get going. I don't want to keep you from your plans. I'd really love to talk to you more sometime" she said smiling at Regina.

"I would really like that dear". Henry looked back and forth between the two women and he understood the situation- he was pretty smart for a ten year old, but he decided he'd let his mom 'tell him'.

Ava stood from her chair and smoothed down her front – being sure that there was no food left behind. "Oh, and I would also love to hear more about you fairytale theory Henry" she stated with a wide grin on her face.

"We could go to Granny's sometime" Henry offered. "How about later on today? I'll buy you lunch if you're lucky" she grinned.

"If that's okay with you of course" she looked at Regina for consent.

Regina face showed a mixture of curiosity – about the "fairytale theory" and worry as to what it meant.

Her face softened when she was brought out of her day dream by Ava repeated herself.

She nodded and Ava couldn't wipe the happy expression off her face.

"Great, then it's a date!" She couldn't get over the fact that she was taking a 10 year old out for lunch – it was pretty weird, but then again, he was technically her brother, so what's the harm in wanting to get to know him?

She also found his story interesting and wanted to know more about it.

He managed to take her mind off of all her problems, and that's all she needed right now.

"Well, I'll pick you up from here 'round 12 and we can walk to the diner""Sounds great".

Henry felt like he could genuinely trust this girl – maybe she could help him make Emma believe.

Regina walked Ava out to the road. "Are you sure you want to walk, I can give you a ride."

"No no, I'll be fine. I've already put you through the ringer enough- and some fresh air will do me some good".

Regina couldn't help but feel like she needed to tend to every one of Ava's needs to make up for lost time.

"Thanks for letting me take Henry for lunch, he's an interesting kid and I'd love to get to know him better" Ava said, shocking herself by the fact that she wanted to get to know the kid she was originally jealous of because he got to have a mother, and she didn't.

"I'm sure he will want to get to know you – I'm going to tell him who you are when I go back inside – even though I have a feeling he's already caught on. He's too smart for his own good sometimes." Regina laughed. "Yeah." Ava smiled. "Well I'd better get going."

Ava left the house and headed back home – she knew her dad would be at the pawn shop, so she'd be able get home, have a shower and change into some fresh clothes without the threat of bumping into him.

* * *

Regina walked back towards the house, getting ready to face an intrigued Henry.

She had just reached the dining table when Henry darted in from the kitchen. "So, what's the story with Ava?" he asked bluntly.

Henry never was one to 'beat around the bush' and that was both a blessing and a curse.

"Sit down Henry" He did as he was told and awaited his mother's speech. "Ava is.. well.. shes.." Regina found it hard to say she's her daughter.

"Your daughter? .." Henry couldn't help himself but finish her sentence.

"Uh, yes..It's a very long story.. I had a feeling you already knew.." she smiled weakly

"what gave it away?" she asked "I heard her say it when she was at the door last night.." Henry looked at her guiltily.

He was eavesdropping on their conversation. He was also dying to say 'plus she looks _exactly _like you!' but kept it behind his teeth.

"Oh, well.. How are you feeling about all of this?" "I think it's awesome. I have a sister."

Saying it out loud made him even more excited. If he were to gain anyone as a sister, he would want it to be Ava.

"Right, well, we will talk more about this later. I've got my council meeting at 8 and I need to get there a bit early to open up the hall. I'd like you to clean up that mess you call your bedroom before I get back, and be sure you're showered and dressed for when Ava comes to get you".

Regina walked over to the bench where her purse was and pulled out a 20 dollar bill. She put it in front of Henry and told him to pay for their lunch before Ava got the chance to.

She knew Ava would decline the offer and insist that she paid herself if Regina tried to give the money directly to her – this way, Regina got what she wanted.

After Henry agreed to do as she said, she kissed him on the forehead and told him she'd see him later, before leaving for her meeting.

* * *

Ava felt a lot better after having had a shower.

She threw on a floral dress, which had a lace back and went to put some make-up – but not too much like Ruby, the waitress from the diner.

She preferred a more… classy look.

She sat at her desk where her vanity mirror was, and was applying her mascara when the sound of her door opening startled her.

Her hand budged and mascara went all across her eyelid.

"Fuck" she turned around to see who was there – even though she already knew who it was. Why was he home so early though?

"Hello deary".

She knew he knew that she hated him calling her "deary" for no reason in particular – other than it just sounded plain creepy.

Ava glared at her father without speaking a word, and turned back to her mirror, grabbing a make-up removal pad and putting it against her eyelid.

She re-did her mascara, and could feel Golds eyes sticking to her.

"What, you're not going to say anything to me? Not even a simple 'sorry'?"

Ava turned to face the man.

"and what _exactly_ do I have to be sorry for?"

"Well, that's a long list. Let's see: Going through my personal belongings, skipping school, lying to me, cursing at me, slamming a door in my face, just being overall rude and disrespectful - I could list more, but that would only waste too much of my time"

"I'll start apologizing when you do."

"Au contraire young one. You will apologize now, or you will leave this house and never return."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard correct deary, so make your decision. I suggest you choose wisely."

Ava stood defiantly.

"Fine."

Just when Gold thought an apology was heading his way, another thing hit him.

Ava walked across the room to her wardrobe. She pulled the door open and grabbed her country road bag.

It was big enough to hold the majority of the things she needed/wanted. She began to pack her stuff into it, with Gold watching on.

"Where do you think you're going to go? No one here will take you in, and you said it yourself, you have no friends." He sniggered.

Ava had never felt more hatred for a person than she did at this particular moment.

She knew he didn't really love her, but she never thought he could be this cruel. She ignored his comment and continued packing her things.

Although she had a lot of stuff, only a small portion of it had sentimental value – and they were the things she was taking with her wherever she was going – which she hadn't quite figured out herself yet.

Once she had everything, she zipped the bag and stood, heading towards the door where Gold was standing.

"Excuse me.." she said angrily, but remaining fairly calm.

He remained in his place.

"Please." She said in a sarcastic tone similar to the one he used when trying to annoy people – Regina in particular.

"Who would have thought you to be so stupid" he spat and moved from the door way.

"I learnt from the best" she said as she left.

When realization of what had just happened set in, Ava started to worry.

What the hell was she thinking?

She could have just said sorry to the man, without having actually meant it, but instead she got herself kicked out.

She then remembered that she had to take Henry out for lunch at 12.

She checked the time and luckily for her it was only quarter past eleven.

Ava knew that asking Regina if she could stay with her and Henry was probably too much too soon, so she decided to call the one person who had offered to help her in any way she could – Mary-Margaret Blanchard- or according to Henry, Snow White.

* * *

**Chapter FOOOOUR! Hope you're liking the story so far - I've decided that I like having Ava and Gold fight (incase you hadn't noticed already haha) I will try and get another chapter up as soon as possible! Feel free to leave me reviews - ideas, criticism, questions, anything at all! - it motivates me to write! ;) P.S - Sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in all chapters - I was re-reading and noticed quite a few, but hopefully it was pretty easy to understand what I actually meant. The majority of this story has been written between 2 and 4 in the morning so there's my excuse haha. Will update soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language.

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off –

Ava knew that asking Regina if she could stay with her and Henry was probably too much too soon, so she decided to call the one person who had offered to help her in any way she could – Mary-Margaret Blanchard- or according to Henry, Snow White.

* * *

Ava walked towards the center of town to get as far away from her father as possible.

She sat on the bus bench and rummaged through her bag to find her cell phone – it took a while but she finally found it buried within her clothes.

She scrolled through her contacts until she got to "m". At the top of the list was 'Mary-Margarizzle'.

Ava smiled at what she had put the woman in her phone as, while she pushed 'call'.

The phone was picked up, and after a few muffled noises Ava heard a quick "Hello?"

Ava remembered she had put her number on private when she was prank calling people as a result of boredom one day, and realized her name wouldn't have shown up on Mary-Margaret's phone.

"Hey Mary, it's me"

"Oh Ava! I'm glad you called. How is everything? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Woah there Mama bear - take a breath." Ava laughed.

Mary-Margaret was only in her late 20's but always acted motherly towards her.

"Everything is fine" She lied. It wasn't fine but she didn't want to worry the other woman.

"I'm fine, I'm just in town. I was wondering if I could ask you for a…favour"

"Depends what it is" Mary-Margaret joked.

She would do anything to help out Ava. She felt connected to the girl for some odd reason.

Ava took the 'depends' as a yes, and asked her what she wanted to ask.

"Would you mind sparing me your couch for a couple of days?"

"No of course I don't mind! What's happened?"

"Oh, you know… the usual daddy drama."

Mary laughed at her choice of words.

"Oh I see. So you're running away?"

"Ha! I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"He kicked you out?" Mary-Margaret asked incredulously.

"Yeah… hey, so I'll tell you about it later. Would I be able to drop my bag off now– I've got lunch with Henry at 12"

A smile crept onto her face.

"Lunch with Henry? I take it you've spoken to Regina about things then?"

"Yeah, I actually stayed at her house last night and had breakfast with her and Henry this morning..."

"Wow" Mary-Margaret was genuinely shocked.

Ava sensed this and asked her "what?"

"Oh nothing, it's just.. Regina doesn't really come off as the welcoming type."

"That's what I thought too until last night. I'm telling you, ff you met the woman I did, you would have a completely different opinion of her."

"Okay. Well, I'm not home at the moment, and Emma's at the station, but you could leave your bag by the door and I'll take it in when I get home."

Ava wasn't far from the apartment, so she started walking while talking to Mary-Margaret.

"Cool, thank you so much Mary. You know, you're always looking out for me- though I have no idea why" she said jokingly.

"I don't think I tell you enough how much I really appreciate it, so thanks" she finished.

"It's really no problem Av. I told you I'd be here if you ever needed anything – and I truly meant it."

"Gee, you sound so grown up sometimes!" Ava giggled.

"Is that your way of calling me old?" Mary-Margaret laughed.

She was still young, but definitely had an 'old soul'.

"Pretty much" Ava chuckled. She had just walked up the stairs and reached the front door to the apartment.

She propped the bag in front of the door.

"Anyway, I'd better let you get on your merry way. I've left my bag right outside the front door okay? Oh and apologies in advance – it's not light!"

"I'm sure I can handle it"

"Try not to break your hip while you're at it" Ava laughed at her own joke, while Mary-Margaret giggled quietly to herself - refusing to let Ava know she was amused.

"I'll see you later then – have fun at lunch, tell Henry I say hi"

"Will do, seeya!" and as if on cue, both woman hung up in unison.

* * *

Mary-Margaret placed her phone on the bedside table and rolled back to face the other side.

"Who was that?" a man asked as he stroked his hand across Mary-Margaret's shoulder, and then down to other places.

"Oh, you're awake – It was just a friend" she stated and without another word, she leant in for a kiss – to which Whale was only too happy to return.

Their tongues danced around in each other's mouths for a while more before Mary-Margaret climbed on top of the man.

Without removing her lips from his, she maneuvered the blanket up to cover their two bare bodies, and proceeded to get on her "merry way".

* * *

Ava checked the time once more and saw that it was now ten to twelve.

Time had passed way faster than she had thought, and she felt herself come to a soft jog in order to make it to 108 Mifflin Street on time.

She didn't want to let Henry down by being late.

That thought made her realise she had another thing in common with Regina – one that didn't include her physical appearance.

They both liked to be extremely punctual.

She made it to the front door, and bent over placing her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath.

Once she had composed herself, Ava knocked in the same little rhythm she had last night.

In what felt like 2 seconds Henry opened the door.

"Hey! You ready to go?" she chirped "Yep!" Henry threw her a toothy grin.

He went back inside and returned to the door, book under his arm and something else in his hand.

Ava looked at him suspiciously as he put whatever that was, into his pocket, but she couldn't be bothered asking questions she knew she'd get cryptic answers to.

He then locked the door from the inside, and walked out, closing it behind him.

Together, they strode down the street towards Granny's.

* * *

They sat at the booth closest to the door and Ruby walked over to take their order.

"Hey Ruby! How are you today?"

"Hey Av, I'm good, what about you? I heard you and your dad aren't on good terms at the mo'"

Ava wasn't surprised that Ruby knew – news spread like wildfire in this small town, so it was likely that the majority of the people already knew about her… predicament.

"Yeah, no… he kicked me out of the house because I wouldn't apologize to him – I did nothing wrong."Ava said - she had completely forgotten that Henry was there and immediately regretted mentioning it

"What?! Where are you staying? You could come and live with Mom and me." Henry spoke up looking at his sister worriedly.

Ava looked at him. She noticed that he didn't say "_my_ mom", he just said "Mom."

She then remembered that Regina told him everything this morning– so he knew she was his sister and by the looks of things, he was ecstatic about it.

She felt even more horrible for mentioning it now, and no doubt he'd go home and tell Regina- then she'd want to talk about it too.

'Damn it' she thought to herself.

"Oh no Henry, everything's fine, I have a place to stay, so no need to fret – or tell your mom ok?"

"_Our_ mom" he said.

The look on Ruby's face was priceless, and Ava had a feeling that everyone in town would know she was Regina's kid by sundown.

Ava grinned at him but dismissed the comment and moved forward

"Uh, I'll have a hot-chocolate, with cinnamon, and the grilled cheese please" she said smiling – obviously not wanting to go into further detail.

She looked over at Henry, who got the message loud and clear and ordered the exact same thing as her.

"Coming right up..." Ruby said uncomfortably and scurried off to the kitchen – probably to inform granny of the new gossip.

Ava hated being in the spotlight, but it seemed there was no avoiding it.

She tried to keep the ball rolling.

"So, are you gonna tell me more about your fairytale characters/Storybrooke residents?"

"Oh yeah! Well, like I said this morning, Mary-Margaret's Snow white, Coma man's charming, Emma's their daughter – and the savior and Mom is…" he hesitated, but decided he could trust her.

"She's the Evil Queen - I couldn't risk telling you this morning because I'm not sure she remembers who she is or not - but its better to be safe than sorry"

Ava let out a laugh.

"What?" he questioned

"You don't really think Regina is the Evil Queen do you? I mean, granted, she's hard work, and can be really rude to people at times, but I think the title of 'Evil Queen' might be a bit much"

"She is! Give it time, you'll see"

"Well, it would explain why she gives Mary-Margaret such a hard time!" Ava giggled again.

"It's not funny Ava. I'm serious"

Ava stopped laughing and tried to put on a serious face.

"Sorry Henry, It's just a bit hard to believe. Do you even have any proof?"

"Well, no - not yet- but what I do know is that I need to get Emma to believe as soon as possible because Rumplestiltskin prophesized that when she was 28 she would break the curse, and guess how old she is now?"

"I bet if this is true, my dad would be Rumplestiltskin." Ava muttered

- the thought of her dad being a cruel man who would only give for something in return wasn't too far from the truth.

Not once in her life had she seen her dad do something nice, or give something simply out of a good heart.

He always had ulterior motives and was a selfish man – he acted like he thought the world owed him a favor.

"I hadn't even thought of that! See – you're good at this. Maybe you could help me get Emma to believe?"

"I'm not even sure I believe yet"

"Will you at least read the book? See if you can link the people in it to people in town?"

"Look, I will read the book, but that doesn't mean I believe this whole curse thing ok?" she indulged the young boy

"Mmhmm" Henry replied, shoving the book at her, knowing she would eventually believe.

Ava knew that this whole theory was farfetched – to say the least, but a part of her kind of wanted to believe it – it would make life a whole lot more interesting, and move everyone's attention off of her – then again, she wouldn't be too keen on her mom being the 'Evil Queen'.

Ruby returned to the table a moment later bearing food and drinks.

"Thanks Rubes"

"No problem, you guys enjoy!" Ruby sounded a lot more like herself this time – she probably just needed a second to comprehend everything.

Ava smiled and began eating her food – Henry had started before Ruby had even left the table, which made Ava laugh.

For a small boy, he had a huge appetite.

"Yum" Ava said as she finished the last bit of her food. "How was yours?"

"Awesome, mom never lets me eat this sort of stuff – she always makes me get things that look like a forest on a plate."

Ava laughed at him.

Her gut told her that she'd end up being told off for feeding the kid junk food, so naturally she decided she'd take him out for ice cream too – go big or go home right?

"You still have room for ice-cream?" she asked, knowing the answer already

"Are you kidding me? Of course I do!"

This opportunity was clearly a rare thing, because Henry welcomed it a little too eagerly.

"Cool, I'll just get the check and we'll get going then."

Just as Ruby was walking past, Ava called for her. "Check please Ruby" "Sure thing".

It didn't feel like it, but it had been about two hours since they had arrived at the diner, but they were talking so much that time just flew by – she was surprised at how alike the two of them were and how well they got along – maybe it was because they both grew up with powerful parents, and knew what it was like to have no friends or life because of it.

Ruby came and went to hand the bill over to Ava, when Henry intercepted – remembering what his mother said this morning.

"What are you doing kid?" Ava got her wallet out ready to pay.

Henry pulled out the 20 dollars from his pocket, and along with the booklet, placed it in Ruby's hand knowing there was more than enough to cover everything.

"Keep the change" he said smiling – he'd always wanted to say that.

Ruby walked off without second guessing anything before Ava got a chance to speak.

Ava then took a 20 out of her wallet and tried to make Henry take it.

"Take the money Henry, I said I'd bring you to lunch, not you bring me to lunch"

"I know, but mom told me I had to do it, and I'm not taking your money." He said firmly.

"Of course she did." She said rolling her eyes.

"Fine, I'll allow it this time, but next time she tries to give you money to pay for something when you're with me, you have to refuse to take it ok?"

Henry said nothing, and Ava knew exactly what it meant.

Of course he was going to listen to his- their- mother over her.

"Well, I'm buying the Ice-cream then"

"Good because I just gave Ruby all the money I had"

They both laughed and walked out of the diner.

* * *

They walked away from the ice cream parlor, double scoop in hand.

Ava was now holding the big leather book.

"Thanks for today Av – you don't mind me calling you that do you?"

"You're welcome, and you can call me whatever you like"

"In that case.." Ava looked at him warningly before he dared finish that sentence with some ridiculous name – she knew what he was thinking, because it was something she would do.

"Av is good." He said.

"Thought so" she giggled.

"Well, it's only 3, do you know what time your mom gets home?"

"_Our_ mom" he reiterated.

"Right.."

"Yeah, she normally gets home around 5"

"On a Saturday? That's gotta suck"

"For her or for me?"

"Both I guess"

"Yeah, well we could go to her office? That way she can take you to where ever you're staying – which is where again?"

"I didn't say... I'm actually staying with your teacher" she laughed – she hadn't thought of it like that.

"Oh, mom won't be too happy about that"

"Right, because the whole Snow white, revenge thing. Well, that's too bad, Mary's my friend so.."

"You're friend? She's over a decade older than you"

"I can have old friends"

They both chuckled as they walked/talked/ate all at the same time.

Finally, they entered a building, and the two of them reached Regina's office, when they could hear fighting coming from inside.

Ava knew exactly who the two people were.

"Henry, go wait outside for a second"

"But.."

Ava gave him the same look that Regina gave him when he came to the door last night.

"You looked just like mom then" he said as he turned on his heel and headed out the door.

Ava shook it off, and turned towards the closed doors of Regina's office.

She pressed her ear against one of the doors and listened intently.

"Why did you not tell me she was my daughter Rumple" she heard her mother say.

'Rumple?' she thought to herself. Maybe she had spent too much time around Henry.

She listened again.

"Because, deary, you may have given birth to her, but you are most certainly not her mother."

Ava felt her anger boil. How dare he.

She had only spent one night with Regina, but felt more a part of her than she ever did of him.

"I **_am_** her mother" Regina roared angrily.

She continued - "You and my mother may have struck a deal together, but I was not consented, and as it was – is- my child, not hers, your contract is invalid, and I therefore see no point in you being here."

"Ooh deary, you have a soft spot for her don't you? Not much of an 'Evil Queen' anymore are we? " Rumple teased.

Ava was shocked. Her body tensed up as she heard the words 'Evil Queen'.

There was no way she was imagining this conversation.

"I am no longer that person. I am trying to be a better person- and better mother for Henry- and now for Ava too."

Ava's heart thumped – though she was unsure if it was out of love or fear.

Ava forgot about the book she was holding –emphasis on the_ 'was'_.

Ava had dropped to her knees, and the book hit the ground hard, but she hadn't even noticed.

She was too overwhelmed by the conversation on the other side of the doors.

It was only until that same door creaked open and a familiar voice spoke to her.

"Hello deary, what on earth do you think you're doing down there?" Rumples – or was it Golds – words bounced around her mind before they finally sat and she became aware of what was happening.

As she stared up at the man, her face portrayed a profound look of guilt.

* * *

**Chapter 5 everybody! It's the longest one so far - I really wanted to get some Ava/Henry bonding in there so there we go! How did you like the idea of awkward Mary-Margaret/whale sex? Hahaha! I found myself cringing as I wrote that bit, even though there was no detail.- Does anyone ship it? (I'm just curious) This story isn't going in the way I had planned, but I hope you're enjoying it! If you have any suggestions I'm all ears (or eyes? Haha) - ps thank's for the kind words of encouragement from those who have left reviews! It really does make me want to write more - even if there's only a few of you :3 Next chapter will be up asap - wonder what gonna happen! (seriously - even I have no idea yet haha!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language.

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off –

Ava had dropped to her knees, and the book hit the ground hard, but she hadn't even noticed.

She was too overwhelmed by the conversation on the other side of the doors.

It was only until that same door creaked open and a familiar voice spoke to her.

"Hello deary, what on earth do you think you're doing down there?" Rumples – or was it Golds – words bounced around her mind before they finally sat and she became aware of what was happening.

As she stared up at the man, her face portrayed a profound look of guilt.

* * *

By the time Ava was going to reply to the older man, Regina had come to the door.

"I.." Ava searched her mind for the reason why she was there – the shock had not worn off yet and she couldn't collect her thoughts.

"Henry. I was dropping Henry off." She murmured.

Pulling herself up off the floor, she brought the book back up to her chest – holding it as if it would protect her.

Gold looked around. "And where is he then?" He asked suspiciously

"Just outside, finishing his ice cream.. I.. told him to stay outside while he ate, so he didn't make a mess in here."

The lie poured from Ava's mouth, and she surprised herself at how easy it came to her.

"You're coming home with me."

Gold made it a statement not a question.

"I realised when you left that you don't get to make the decision to leave. You're only 16 and I still have legal rights to you"

"Actually" Ava said with sass in her voice.

"I'm not coming 'home' with you. I _have_ somewhere to go, and it's most definitely not with you."

"In that case, I'll figure out who you're staying with and tell the sheriff you went missing, and the person you're with must have taken you – she will bring you home to me."

Regina watched on as her daughter fiercely defended herself against Rumple.

She felt a great sense of pride that Ava had become such an independent, strong willed woman – everything she had wanted her to be.

Having learned Ava's situation through Rumple, she was going to insist Ava went home with her.

"I have a feeling that won't work out in your favor." Ava mumbled

"How so deary? I own this town – what I say, goes."

Ava looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"I am _staying _with Emma and Mary-Margaret. I doubt she'd ever take your word over Mary-Margaret's –and mine for that matter."

Regina screwed her face up and spoke out.

"You're staying at Mary-Margaret's?" she said, hurt in her voice.

She wondered why Ava hadn't asked to stay with her. - but out of all people, Snow White. Really?

"Uh yeah.. I would have asked you, but I don't want to burden you with further responsibility."

"You're my daughter, not a burden." Regina stated strongly.

"You will not be going to Ms Blanchard's, or Regina's. You will be coming home with me, and that is final."

"Are we even on the same planet?!" Ava screamed at her father.

"I don't want to be anywhere near you – is that so fucking hard to understand?!"

"How dare you speak to me like that. I raised you. I fed you, and put a roof over your head. I am the reason you are who you are today. I am the reason why you are so successful."

Ava was incredibly annoyed (that being an understatement) but she calmed her voice and spoke slowly

"Yes. You have provided me with necessities that have allowed me to survive, and for that I will be eternally grateful."

Her voice then became lower, and more hostile

"but don't you _ever _say that I am successful because of _you_."

She glared at the man she once called 'dad'.

"I am successful because of _me_. Despite everything, I've pushed through in order to be the best I can be – originally it was for you, but now it is for me. So, I'll tell you as politely as I possibly can. Leave. Me. Alone"

Gold stared at her for a moment, processing her words.

"Sure thing deary, but if you're in need of something, don't come crying to me. As for you, 'Madame Mayor'"

He spoke in a condescending voice.

"You will get what's coming for you" and he stormed out of the room.

'What the hell was that supposed to mean?' Ava thought to herself.

Gold walked from the building, and bumped into Henry who fell to the ground.

"Stay out of my damn way" he growled and he took off down the road with his usual limp.

* * *

Ava was on the verge of bawling her eyes out.

She looked over to Regina and couldn't hold back the tears.

Regina saw this and quickly strolled towards the teenage girl.

Regina wasn't the comforting type, so she found it strange that she had instinctively walked over to the girl and wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Ava cried into the woman's shoulder.

Something about being in her mother's arms calmed her- her breathing eventually evened out, and the tears came to a halt.

Ava reluctantly pulled back, wiping under her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cry" she whispered.

"It's okay Ava. Everything will be fine."

"No, it won't!" Ava spat

Regina wasn't expecting the sudden outburst, and her jaw dropped.

"Av.."

Ava spoke without letting Regina finish.

"He is going to make your life a living hell, all because of me. I think it's best if we don't see each other for a while"

Ava wanted nothing more but to spend time with Regina –and Henry- but she didn't want to cause her any more trouble with her father, no scratch that –he was Gold to her now.

She saw this as the only viable option right now.

"Ava, this is absurd. I am the Mayor; he can't do anything to me."

"I don't want to take any chances." Ava said staring right into the woman's eyes.

"I am so sorry" she said and she darted out of the room, refusing herself time to change her mind.

Regina tried to grab her arm, but Ava moved too quickly.

She passed Henry on the way out of the building.

"Hey Av, is everything ok?"

She was going to walk away without saying anything, but her legs wouldn't budge.

She pulled herself together and turned back around to face him.

"Everything's fine Henry, you're going home with mom, and I'm gonna walk to the apartment."

"But you could just come and stay wit.."

"Henry, listen to me. I'm going to stay with Mary-Margaret and Emma. I can't be around Regina at the moment ok?"

"What happened? Does it have something to do with your dad?"

"He's many things, but my dad he is not." She didn't hold back at all.

She saw Regina's silhouette moving towards where she was standing

"Sorry Henry, I've got to go, I'll see you around." She left without another word.

"Henry.." Regina said in a soft voice

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" he shouted at her.

"Henry, I did nothing, she just needs some space. She'll come back, don't worry."

Henry began to cry – he didn't do it often, so Regina knew he was truly upset.

She got down to his level and placed both her hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to me Henry, she will be back. I promise you." And she pulled him into a hug.

Henry found it strange, but relaxed into his mother's arms – she never hugged him and he knew that Ava was changing her –for the better.

He hoped his mother would keep her promise and make sure she came back to them.

* * *

Ava liked the feeling of the cold breeze that swept across her face.

She walked towards Mary-Margaret's apartment and when she eventually got to the front door she pushed it open.

Emma and Mary-Margaret were sitting at the dining table drinking, and talking.

"Ava! Hey" Emma yelled – she was very much like her son in this sense.

"Mary told me about your situation. What's mine is yours" Emma smiled at the young girl.

"Don't tell her that, she'll eat us out of house and home" Mary laughed looking at Ava.

"Very funny" Ava smiled - knowing the women were both a bit tipsy.

They had already started to take her mind of the previous incident.

Her life was quickly becoming so dramatic MTV could create a reality series out of it.

"Come. Sit, we were just talking about how Mary slept with whale earlier today" Emma stated and she couldn't contain her laughter.

"Emma! She's only sixteen" Mary-Margaret scolded.

"You did what?" Ava laughed along with Emma.

Mary-Margaret shot Ava a fierce look

"Cut it out you two! It's not even funny"

Ava took a seat at the table.

She shared a look with Emma – they both then looked at Mary-Margaret for a second before an eruption of giggling engulfed the room once more.

"You guys are unbelievable!"

"It's just…ew" Ava murmured before laughing once again.

"What did you say?" Mary-Margaret eyed her out.

"Nothing" she replied quickly, throwing her a quick smile.

That made Emma laugh even harder – she laughed so much her eyes began to water.

Ava decided she'd make one more crack before letting it go.

"Oh, so that's why it took you so long to answer my call this morning" she said jokingly.

Mary-Margaret just glared at her.

"No way?!" Ava said in a playfully 'grossed out' tone, when she realised that was exactly the case.

She gently nudged Mary's shoulder in an 'I'm just screwing with you' kind of way.

Mary shook her head and then tilted it slightly - smiling at Ava.

"Anyway… that's quite enough about my life, how was your day?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Probably not as.. _pleasurabl_e.. as yours" Emma said – she was still laughing her head off at the idea of Mary-Margaret and Whale.

She stopped laughing as soon as Ava's smile dropped.

"Oh, um. Lunch was good – really good actually. Henry and I had a great time" she said smiling at Emma – Her plan was to avoid questions like 'what's wrong?'

"He's really amazing you know?" she continued.

"That I do" Emma smiled. She knew something was up –and so did Mary-Margaret.

Ava sensed that both woman were on to her, and decided to change the subject, just like Mary did just minutes ago.

"What's for dinner?" she said in a chipper voice – that she had clearly faked.

"Ava, what's going on?" Mary-Margaret questioned.

Ava sighed. "I'm _really_ not in the mood to talk about it." She said hoping Mary wouldn't question her further – she knew she was asking because she cared, but it was too much to deal with right now, and Ava just wanted to forget about everything for the moment.

Mary got the hint.

"Okay, but when you are ready to talk, I'll be here"

"I know, thanks" she smiled.

The room fell silent until Emma spoke up. "So dinner? How about spaghetti?"

"Sounds great – could I take a quick shower?" She directed the question at Mary-Margaret.

"Yeah sure, I'll grab you a towel."

"Ta."

Ava followed her towards the bathroom.

Mary got a towel out from a cupboard and passed it to Ava.

"I know you don't want to talk right now, but indulge an old woman and allow her to ask one question"

"You're not _that_ old –your actions from today clearly prove that" Ava sniggered.

Mary took no notice of the whale+sex joke and looked for her approval to ask a question.

Ava nodded, noticing that the older woman was being serious.

Mary-Margaret hesitated at first, but the question did eventually leave her lips.

"Does this newer 'situation' have to do with your father, or Regina?"

Ava looked at her with sad eyes.

"Both"

Mary-Margaret could tell by the look on Ava's face that she was upset and needed to be comforted.

Mary pulled Ava into a hug, placing one hand on the back of her head, pulling the young girl into her neck, the other hand rubbing circles on her back.

"Everything will be fine Av, I promise you" she whispered into the young girl's ear.

Ava began to sob.

The sincerity in Mary-Margaret's words reassured Ava that everything would eventually turn out fine, but she couldn't help but cry.

Although she didn't want to break apart from the woman, Ava forced herself to do so, thinking Mary-Margaret was probably sick of hugging her anyway.

Mary wiped the tears from Ava's face with her thumb, and smiled.

"A hot shower will make you feel a whole lot better"

Mary-Margaret turned on the shower, and made sure it was at the perfect temperature – not too hot, not too cold, and she headed out towards the kitchen to get started on dinner, closing the door behind her.

Ava pulled off her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror above the basin.

She looked horrible.

Make-up stains down her cheeks, puffy red eyes, and a paler than usual complexion.

She dragged herself into the shower and let the hot water wash over her and take her somewhere she didn't have to think about her problems.

Ava turned the water off before wringing her hair out with her hands.

She then opened the shower door, and grabbed the towel.

She dried her body off, and wrapped the towel around her.

It was then that she realised she had forgotten to get a change of clothes.

Pulling open the bathroom door and walking towards the lounge, she heard Emma speak:

"Wow, fashion has changed a lot since I was a kid" Emma laughed when she saw Ava walk past her at the dining table in nothing but a towel.

"Yeah, this particular outfit won best in show" Ava giggled.

The shower had definitely made Ava feel a lot better –and more like her usual self Mary-Margaret noticed.

"I put your bag under the couch Av" Mary-Margaret bellowed from the kitchen.

Ava looked under the couch and sure enough, her country road bag was there.

She found her deodorant first, and rolled some on.

She then pulled out a pair of underwear, pajama pants and a singlet.

Once she got back to the bathroom, she changed quickly as Mary announced that dinner was ready - she was hungrier than she thought she would be considering the amount of food she had consumed at lunch.

"Wow, this is really good – who taught you to cook?" Ava asked curiously.

Mary-Margaret thought hard about it.

"I can't remember ever being taught– I guess it just comes naturally" She smiled.

Ava looked over at Emma.

"So Henry told me about his fairytale theory – what's your take on the whole thing?" she blurted out.

"Oh, it's silly and completely unrealistic, but he really believes it – that I'm the daug.."

Emma didn't finish her sentence but Ava knew she was about to say something along the lines of 'the daughter or Snow White and Prince Charming' – she wondered why she'd stopped.

Ava watched as Emma looked at Mary-Margaret, then back at her food.

She realised that Emma hadn't told Mary-Margaret who Henry thought she was – but if she didn't believe in the curse, then why was it such a big deal? - Unless part of her did believe it or at least wanted to.

Memories from earlier suddenly flooded back to Ava.

She knew she hadn't imagined Gold being called 'Rumple' and Regina being called the 'Evil Queen'.

She remembered that Henry was in fact – right- and the curse was true.

That meant that she really was having dinner with Snow White, and her daughter – the savior.

She was the flesh and blood of the Evil Queen.

Emma placed her hand on Ava's.

"You ok Ava? You don't look so well"

It was as if Emma's touch sparked something inside of Ava, because right after the contact, her mind began to spin.

For a moment, things went black, but then she saw images flash through her mind.

She was in a.. a castle. Her dad was there – but he wasn't in normal human form.

His skin looked…scaly almost.

She saw herself cleaning antique dishes, and then saw herself touching the chip in one of the cups.

Ava stood from the table.

Emma and Mary-Margaret looked at her and began to worry –she looked like she'd just seen a ghost.

"I'm gonna go for a walk"

"Ava, you don't look so good, you haven't even finished your food, and its dark out" Mary-Margaret said worriedly, but Ava had already picked up the leather book, a jumper, threw on some shoes and was out the door.

She remembered _everything._

* * *

**There we go! Chapter SIX - I found this chapter particularly hard to write for some reason and just casually decided to give Ava back her memories. How will she react knowing everything that others don't remember? What does this mean for her relationship with Regina - the Evil Queen. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out! Hope you liked it :) Next chapter will be up as soon as it's written!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language + reference to abuse

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off –

Ava stood from the table.

Emma and Mary-Margaret looked at her and began to worry –she looked like she'd just seen a ghost.

"I'm gonna go for a walk"

"Ava, you don't look so good, you haven't even finished your food, and its dark out" Mary-Margaret said worriedly, but Ava had already picked up the leather book, a jumper, threw on some shoes and was out the door.

She remembered _everything._

* * *

Ava sprinted down the street, darkness surrounding her, until she stopped dead in the middle of the road.

Her head pounded as it overloaded with the memories of both her life as Ava, and as Belle.

She remembered how she had been brought up a maid for the Dark one – better known as Rumplestiltskin, or Gold in this land.

How she'd thrown that cup at Rumple out of rage, because she was sick of being his slave – she also remembered her punishment for doing so.

She kept the chipped cup as a reminder to herself never to let anger cloud her judgment.

Ava found herself walking towards the bus bench she was at earlier.

It was directly under a street lamp, which would provide her with enough light to read Henrys book.

She flipped through the pages, until she came to the part where the Evil Queen – Regina – her mother... had crashed the Charming's wedding.

"Out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do" she read cringing.

She knew who the Queen was as Belle – she had even been imprisoned by her guards once, for 'looking at them funny'.

Ava knew what kind of person she really was. The amount of pain and suffering she had inflicted on so many peoples lives was… well, unforgivable.

Even if Regina really is 'trying to be a better person' as she claimed in her office, it's going to take a hell of a lot to redeem herself considering the damage she's caused.

Ava felt conflicted.

She wanted to get to know Regina, as Ava, but as Belle, she despised the woman.

How was this supposed to work?

Mary-Margaret's words rang in her ears. 'Everything will be fine Av'.

This was not fine- far from fine. This whole situation was the furthest from "fine" anything has ever been in Ava's life.

Ava's phone vibrated once again in her pocket. It had been doing it ever since she left the apartment.

This time, she answered. She had to act natural. They would think she was crazy if she told them she was two people, and that the curse was real, and that they are exactly who Henry says they are.

Without having the chance to speak, Mary-Margaret yelled at her.

"Ava! Where the heck are you? Are you ok? Why haven't you been picking up? I'm worried sick here! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Tell her I'm coming to get her –if she doesn't tell us where she is, I will still find her." Ava could hear Emma in the background.

It made her smile. She'd never felt like she'd mattered to anyone – until now.

"I'm ok, don't worry, I just needed some air." Mary-Margaret released a sigh of relief.

"I swear to god Ava, if you ever run off into the night like that again. We're coming to get you, where are you?"

"You can't drive, you've both been drinking" "Right… well, we will walk. So, tell me where"

"Honestly, you're both nuts. I'm fine, I just need some time, I'll be back soon."

"I'm really not comfortable with this."

"Mary-Margaret, you're not my mom. You don't need to worry about me ok?" Ava hissed, regretting what she said straight away.

Mary-Margaret knew that her attitude was only the result of her situation with Regina and Gold.

"No, I'm not your mom. But I do care about you, and I do worry about you. If you're not back here in 20, we're coming to find you" she said in an authoritative tone

"Okay, fine." Ava was about to hang up, but couldn't leave without apologizing.

"I'm sorry about the 'tude, I didn't mean to sound like a little brat"

"Don't worry about it Av, I know you're just having a hard time at the moment. We'll talk when you get back ok?"

"Yeah, ok... I'll see you soon." Ava hung up the phone.

She looked back down at the open book and brushed her hand across the page with an illustration of Regina, and a sword heading in her direction.

'How did you get like that' Ava wondered to herself, tears rolling down her cheeks.

She wiped the tears away and slapped herself 'Get yourself together Ava.' She told herself.

She couldn't tell anyone, anything for the moment so she had to come up with a story.

'Okay, I had a headache and thought a walk would help' she thought.

"That'll do" she said aloud.

"What will do?"

She recognized the voice. Turning around, Ava found Regina.

"Uh… nothing, I was just going" and Ava started to walk off.

"Ava, please just let me talk to you" Regina said quickly.

Ava kept walking. Regina turned to the seat and noticed the book.

"You forgot your book" She said picking it up and looking at the open page.

Ava stopped, and turned to look at the woman.

The way Regina looked down at the page showed a sense of regret - it spread across Regina's face, and Ava noticed it instantly.

Regina looked up from the book and into Ava's eyes.

It was as if she was looking to see whether Ava knew the truth about her or not.

She then shook her head, closed the book and took a step towards the young girl who was in pajama pants.

Without thought, Ava took a step back.

She then realised that she needed to act as if she knew nothing about the truth in the curse until she figured out what she was going to do.

Regina held out the book for Ava to take- offering a smile.

"Thanks…" she said taking the book, before turning once again to leave.

"Ava…" Regina begged. "Please don't push me away"

Ava stopped. She didn't want to push _Regina_ away, it was the _Evil Queen_ she didn't want anything to do with.

"I just, need some space. Please just let me have it" Ava forced out, not turning to face Regina at all this time.

Ava then walked, and Regina stood in the darkness alone.

* * *

Ava walked up the stairs and took a deep breath before going into the apartment.

'You can do this' she told herself. Placing a gentle hand on the door knob, she slowly turned it and pushed forward.

Mary-Margaret and Emma were in the same seat's they were in when she'd arrived the first time, but this time, instead of talking to her from there, Mary-Margaret – or Snow rather- got up from the table and ran into Ava, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't freak me out like that" she whispered into Ava's ear. "Sorry, I just had a head ache and needed some air"

"That seemed like a bit more than just a headache kid" Emma stated from the table.

"It's nothing. I think I'm just gonna get some sleep if you don't mind? You guys can stay up, as long as you don't blast your old people music, and start dancing around like dorks" Ava said jokingly.

"You just want to get out of talking to me" Mary-Margaret accused.

"Yup" Ava smiled.

"Fine, but tomorrow morning, you're not getting out of it

" "Yes 'mother'" Ava replied. She threw herself onto the couch, not too far away from the dining table.

Mary had already put a blanket on it for her, and gave her a pillow from her bed.

"Whale hasn't been using this pillow has her mare?" Ava joked.

"Oh sorry, it's from his side of the bed- hope you don't mind" Mary-Margaret joked back

"Gross" Ava laughed and she turned around to face the back of the couch.

She closed her eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

_"Belle, get down here right now!" Belle was upstairs cleaning the bathroom when she heard Rumple shout at her from the dining area._

_She put down the rag she was using to clean the sink, and headed down stairs. _

_She reached Rumple, who had a disgraced look on his face. He had just had a visit from the Queen, so it didn't surprise Belle at all. _

_"When was the last time you wiped down this table?" he said in a seemingly happy voice that he was known to use for masking his anger_

_"I… can't quite remember" she said innocently._

_"Well, that's not good enough, now is it deary?"_

_"No, I suppose not." She said in an irritated voice _

_"Oh, you 'suppose' not? Do I sense a bit of hostility in your voice Belle?" _

_"No, not at all." She said sarcastically. _

_She'd, had enough quite enough of him forcing her to be his slave and getting nothing in return – except for criticism of course. _

_Nothing she ever did was good enough. No matter how hard she tried- or scrubbed, she could never please Rumplestiltskin_

_"Don't use that tone with me" he said, talking down to her. _

_"Or what? What could you possibly do to me that would be worse than the life I'm already forced to live here with you?"_

_"Oh, I'm sure I could come up with something" he sniggered eerily._

_"That's it. I'm sick of being a slave to you. Either you let me go, or I run away." _

_"There will be no running away deary. You couldn't possibly leave me no matter how hard you tried. You belong to me."_

_"I belong to no one. I am my own person" Anger filled Belles words, as she picked up a cup and flung it directly at Rumple. _

_The cup nipped his side, and landed on the carpet. It suffered only a small chip – nothing compared to what Belle would have to face after the sudden outburst. _

_"Follow me!" Rumple yelled. "NOW". Belle began to follow the older man, as he walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. _

_He grabbed Belles tooth brush and passed it to her._

_"You are to clean every square inch of this castles floor with this" _

_"That's disgusting, I'm not doing that" Belle was meant to it think in her head, but accidently said it out loud. _

_Rumple then snatched the tooth brush from her hand, and pushed her out of the bathroom. _

_She fell to the cold floor, and Rumple began to kick her. Belle closed her eyes and tried to take her mind of the pain._

_She could hear someone calling her name."Belle.. Bella..Ava.."_

* * *

"Wake up Ava" she heard the voice.

Ava's eyes shot open and she found Mary-Margaret towering over her.

Mary-Margaret pulled back when she saw that Ava's eyes were open.

"What…what happened?" It was still dark.

"You were having a nightmare by the looks of it."

Ava put her hand to her forehead as a searing pain shot through her head.

She felt herself sweating, and pulled herself up and off the couch, heading for the bathroom, where she splashed handfuls of cold water at her face.

* * *

When Ava emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Mary-Margaret had made two hot chocolates – both with cinnamon.

Mary is where Ava learnt the cinnamon thing from.

"Is that for me?" she asked pointing towards the cup.

"Yes, I thought it might help you get back sleep"

"Thanks" Ava said as she sat at a stool by the bench and took a sip.

The warm liquid soothed her, but Ava had the feeling she wouldn't be sleeping much more tonight – especially not on the uncomfortable couch.

"So, you wanna share what your dream was about?"

"I can't really remember any specifics" Ava lied. She remembered it vividly –because it wasn't a dream. It was a memory.

"Well then, do you want to quickly finish your drink and get back to sleep?"

"No, not really.." It was the truth.

"Okay then, how about you tell me about everything that's happened with Regina and your dad so far?"

"He's not my dad" Ava blurted out.

"Mr. Gold, then" Mary smiled.

Ava looked up at her. "I don't really know where to begin"

"How about from the start?"

"Okay, well… You know the other day, when I ran into you, and told you that I had a disagreement with Gold?"

"Yeah, you were crying"

"Uh.. yeah" Ava replied embarrassed.

"Well, the fight we had was about how I found out Regina was my mom…I kind of went through the locked draw in his desk and found the contract that gave me to him –while he was out."

Ava took a breath.

"Then the next day, he dropped me at school, but instead of going to English, I went to Regina's house. I planned on asking her then If she knew who I really was, but chickened out at the last minute."

Mary-Margaret sat and listened intently. Ava loved that about the woman – that she could just listen, without passing any judgment.

"But of course, with my luck, I turned around and bumped into Regina. I just freaked, and pretty much ran back to school – I made 2nd period" Ava said, remembering that Mary was a teacher herself, so she should be careful when telling her she skipped class – unless she wanted the "you won't pass if you're not there" lecture.

"later that night, da-Gold- burst into my room asking where I was first period –I lied, but he caught on and I ended up telling him the truth. That's when the fight started. He told me that I had no right to go through his stuff- which, yeah, I'll admit- I shouldn't have done, but he refused to tell me anything, so what else was I supposed to do?"

Ava felt her eyes begin to water, but held the tears back so she could keep telling her story.

"He then proceeded to tell me how he had power over everything –_including_ me, and that really got me going. I yelled at him saying that he didn't own me, and how the contract didn't belong to just him- because it's about my life, I also through in a few swears that weren't completely necessary, but it felt pretty good."

Ava began to laugh, and so did Mary-Margaret. It was such an 'Ava' thing to do. – she may have been a lovely girl, but she swore like a sailor.

"I may or may not have told him to go fuck himself at the end" Ava giggled.

"I stormed from the house and that's when I walked into you. When I left you and Emma, I went to Regina's and stayed for the night, as you already know. I ended up asking her why she gave me up – and she told me she had no choice in the matter, because her mom made her give me away – to Gold, but she didn't know I was hers. She'd been looking for me Mary. She wanted me."

Ava began to cry. Saying that out loud was different to thinking it.

Mary-Margaret was now sitting on the stool next to her.

She pulled Ava's hand into hers and put her other hand on top, giving it a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to keep talking.

"She gave me this" Ava said as she showed Mary-Margaret the charm on her bracelet.

Mary-Margaret thought the charm was strangely familiar, but said nothing and allowed Ava to keep going.

"It was hers -she wanted me to have it as a baby, but she didn't get to give it to me."

Ava took her hand back from Mary, and studied the charm. She twirled it around in her fingers while she continued speaking.

"Anyway, today I went home to take a shower and change my clothes, not expecting Gold to be there, but he turned up right when I was doing my make-up. I was going to give him the silent treatment, but when he told me I should say sorry to him, I couldn't help myself and asked what I had to be sorry for. That's when we fought again, and he told me to apologize, or leave, and I'm guessing you can tell which route I took" She said smiling at Mary.

"That's pretty much it" Ava said, deciding to leave out her encounter with Gold and Regina at the mayor's office, even though that was the part that upset her most – telling Regina she couldn't be around her at the moment, not to mention the fact that she heard them talking about their fairytale selves.

It then dawned on her that Gold remembered who he was too.

That thought scared her –what if he tried to hurt her again, like he had in the past?

Mary-Margaret looked over at Ava, whose eyes were bloodshot.

"You really should get some rest Ava – or try at least"

"I just… I can't"

"How about you come sleep in my bed. I promise you Whale has been nowhere near it." She laughed at her own joke.

Ava was a big girl, and she told herself that. "I..." Ava was hesitant, but eventually nodded.

As soon as they both finished their drinks, Mary-Margaret took the cups and put them in the sink.

"Come on" she said, pulling Ava from her stool.

They walked over to Mary-Margaret's bed and she instructed Ava to get in on the right side.

Ava slid under the sheets and faced away from Mary-Margaret.

She pulled her knees into her chest, and stared at the wall.

Warmth radiated from Mary's small figure that was only centimeters away from Ava, and she felt safe.

"Good night Ava" she heard Mary-Margaret whisper.

"Night Snow" Ava said, without thinking.

She quietly gasped when she realised what she had said, but luckily for her, Mary-Margaret didn't notice.

* * *

**That's chapter 7! Thoughts on me making Ava, Belle? It might have been predictable, idk haha. Just to let you know - in this story, there was no romantic relationship between Belle/Rumple (incase that idea wasn't shot down enough lol). *Spoiler alert* There is a familial connection between Belle and Snow ;) Any ideas on how that might be? Hope you all enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off –

Ava slid under the sheets and faced away from Mary-Margaret.

She pulled her knees into her chest, and stared at the wall.

Warmth radiated from Mary's small figure that was only centimeters away from Ava, and she felt safe.

"Good night Ava" she heard Mary-Margaret whisper.

"Night Snow" Ava said, without thinking.

She quietly gasped when she realised what she had said, but luckily for her, Mary-Margaret didn't notice.

* * *

Light seeped through Ava's eyelids, practically forcing them open.

She found herself staring at the face of Mary-Margaret-or as Henry had told her, Snow White.

Ava remembered reading fairytales as a child, and Snow White happened to be her favorite.

Looking at the woman herself, Ava noticed that she really did have skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.

Ava watched the woman sleep peacefully for a minute, before realizing how weird it would be for Mary to wake up to her watching her.

She gently pulled herself off the bed, not wanting to wake the other woman.

She tip-toed to the kitchen, grabbed a glass and filled It with water. Quickly gulping the drink, she noticed a flash of red in the corner of her eye.

"You're up early" she heard Emma say as she plodded down the stairs, pulling one side of her jacket on.

Ava's eyes clung to the woman- _the savior_ .

"You know what they say, early bird gets the worm" Ava smiled trying to act as casual as possible.

"What are _you_ doing up so early? Mary-Margaret's always complaining how you never get up before eleven." Ava continued.

"Oh, I've got to get to the station to finish up some paperwork."

"Fun" Ava replied sarcastically.

"So what are you going to do today?" Emma asked

"Uh, I'm not sure yet. I might head into town for a bit"

"Cool, listen, I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch at Granny's with Henry and I?"

Ava eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, no…I wouldn't want to get in the way of you two spending time together- thanks for the offer though"

"Well, we'll still be spending time together, but you'll be there too"

Ava had a feeling Emma had spoken to Henry about their conversation outside the Mayor's office yesterday.

"..look, Henry told me that you and Regina had a fight over something, and he's worried he won't get to see you because of it." Emma finished, sensing Ava's suspicion.

"I..Yeah, but I just.. can't. Not right now." Ava protested against the idea.

"Ava, he's your brother. "

Ava closed her eyes, tilted her head back slightly, and sighed.

After a couple of seconds, they flew open again, and she began to speak.

"Okay…"

"Cool" Emma's smile widened. "Meet us there at 12:30"

Ava gave a salute, as to say 'yes boss'.

Emma smiled and headed for the door. Just as she was about to leave, there was a knock.

"What the…who would be here this early in the morning" Emma wondered aloud.

She opened the door to find the one and only Regina Mills.

"Ms Swan" Regina said, nodding her head.

Ava froze.

"Regina…What can I do for you?" Emma asked rolling her eyes.

"I would like to speak to my daughter"

Emma went blank for a moment before she remembered that Ava was indeed Regina's daughter.

"Uh..." she turned to face Ava. Ava's head shook. Emma turned back to Regina, and she lifted an eyebrow.

Regina walked past her, ignoring the fact that Ava requested Emma to deny her access.

She walked right up to Ava.

"Ava, please just let me talk to you "she begged. Ava tried to hide her fear – she _was_ the Evil Queen.

"Look" she started. "I don't think now is a good time" she said looking over for Emma, who had already left the apartment.

Regina's eyes followed. Ava looked back at Regina and saw the woman she had talked to the night before last take the place of the Queen.

Ava's eyes began to well up.

"I... I can't stand the thought of him hurting you – or Henry, in anyway" she said, tears beginning to stream down her face.

She knew it was silly to be fearful of Gold hurting the Evil Queen herself, but Ava couldn't help feel love for the woman, and worry for her safety - in spite of the horrible things she'd done in the past.

Regina wrapped her arms around the crying girl. "He won't hurt me, nor will he ever hurt you again"

Regina spoke without thinking about the importance in the word 'again'.

It was at these words, Ava realised Regina remembered who she was back home.

She knew her as Belle – Rumplestiltskins slave girl. She knew that Rumplestiltskin abused her when she disobeyed his orders.

The thought made Ava angry.

The Queen had witnessed her beating once, and did nothing – whether she knew it was her daughter or not, she should have done something. She saw a 13 year old girl being kicked, punched, and even burned at one stage, but did absolutely nothing.

Ava pushed the woman away. "Get off me!" she roared, using her arms to create some well needed space.

Regina was clearly stunned by the sudden change in Ava. Ava had never been more conflicted in her life.

In order to have a relationship with her mother, she had to forgive her for what she had done as the Evil Queen, and Ava struggled with that – especially knowing from personal experience how cruel she really was.

"You need to leave" Ava said once she had calmed down.

"But I don't underst.."

"Please. We can talk some other time".

Regina looked lovingly into her daughters eyes. All she could see was pain- not being able to do anything about it made Regina's heart sink. Regina couldn't quite understand where Ava was coming from –and knew that there was something more than her being worried about Gold causing trouble.

She was going to find out the real reason why Ava was so against spending time with her.

"Will you come over for dinner tonight?"

"I don't think that's a good idea"

"Ava, please…just give me a chance, that's all I ask."

Ava was going to decline but couldn't find the words. She could not say no to the woman.

"Fine" she said reluctantly.

"Great, I'll see you around six" Regina said placing a quick kiss on Ava's forehead.

Ava wanted to pull away from it, but couldn't. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she loved Regina fiercely, even having known she was her mother for only a couple of days.

Regina left the apartment with a smile on her face.

* * *

Ava shut the door behind her a got a fright when she heard Mary-Margaret speak.

"Who was that?" the older woman inquired.

"Regina" Ava said coolly. Mary-Margaret folded her arms and gave Ava a look that was translated into a 'what did she want'.

"She just came to ask me if I'd go over for dinner tonight and I said I would."

"Oh, that'll be nice. How are you feeling?" Mary-Margaret said smiling.

"Better" Ava replied.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"What've you got?"

"Hmm let's see" Mary walked over to the pantry. Pulling it open she named multiple types of cereal and threw on "or toast" on the end.

"Why in the world do you have so much cereal?"

Mary shrugged her shoulders "Emma like's sugar filled cereals like fruit-loops, where I'm more of an all-bran girl myself"

They both laughed.

"I'll think I'll stick with toast for today." Ava said, putting bread into the toaster.

Both of them sat in comfortable silence as they ate.

Ava finished first and took her plate over to the sink. "So, do you have any plans for today Mare?" she asked from the opposite side of the bench.

"Just going to run some errands, and then organize things for class tomorrow – speaking of, do you have any homework, and has it been done?"

"Errands? Oh, you mean going to see whale" Ava joked.

Mary frowned at her. "I'm never going to live this down am I"

"No, probably not, but on the upside, it makes for some great jokes"

"Homework?" Mary-Margaret repeated ignoring anything whale related.

"I'll get it done."

"You better"

"Since when did you become an overbearing parent figure?"

"Since _you_ walked through the door"

Ava just shook her head and smiled.

She wasn't going to admit it out loud, but it was nice to have someone care for her like a mother – even if there was only a 12 year age gap between them.

"Well, I'm gonna jump in the shower, then head into town if that's cool with you?"

She wasn't meant to ask for permission, but it slipped out.

"Yes, that's fine, just don't cause too much trouble"

"Damn, that rules out TPing Golds house" Mary-Margaret glared at her.

"I'm just kidding!" Ava smiled holding her hands up.

"Go get in the shower" Mary said in a motherly voice, and Ava did as she was told.

* * *

Walking through town, Ava found herself outside Golds pawnshop.

She willed herself not to go in, but her legs dragged her through the door.

The bell sounded and Gold walked into the main area from the back.

"Whatever you're look for, you won't find it here" He spoke. Ava knew exactly what he meant by his words.

"I'm not here for forgiveness –people usually only ask for forgiveness having done something wrong."

"What _are_ you here for?"

Ava straightened herself up. She stood tall, and looked powerful. She narrowed her eyes and stared directly into those of the man in front of her who had hurt her as both Ava and Belle.

"I came to tell you that if you _ever_ try to hurt Regina, Henry or anyone else I care about, so help me god, I will beat the living crap out of you."

Without allowing a response, she turned and left the store, slamming the door behind her, making his bell fall and crash on the floor.

* * *

Ava paced down the road feeling a rush of adrenaline.

She came to a screeching halt when she saw Emma and Regina arguing outside Granny's diner.

It was around 12:20 by now, and she was going to have lunch with Emma and Henry.

Ava pushed any Evil Queen or Savior thoughts from her mind and made herself see just Mayor Mills and Emma.

As she approached, she saw that Henry was standing a couple of feet away from the woman, watching them fight like a couple of kids.

"What's going on?"Her voice seemed to have no effect on either woman, and they took no notice of her what's so ever.

She walked over to Henry.

"Ava!" He yelled, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey Henry" Ava pulled back "do you know what are they fighting about?" Ava asked curiously.

"Me. Emma wanted to bring me to lunch, but mom changed her mind about letting me go, and now they're just fighting over...well not even I know anymore."

Ava nodded. "They're making idiots out of themselves" she stated.

"Yep" Henry agreed.

Ava walked up and in between the two the woman.

She put a hand on each of their chests and pushed them apart.

They had moved themselves dangerously close to each other, Ava feared one of them was bound to throw a punch sooner rather than later.

Both Emma and Regina stopped talking at this action.

Ava found her window of opportunity to speak up.

"You two are seriously acting like a couple of ridiculous kids. Henry and I are going to go have lunch, and you two are going to go your separate ways."

She took charge. Ava was a natural born leader. She turned her look to Regina.

"You want me to come to dinner tonight? You're going to have to listen to me or it's a no-go."

Emma, Regina and Henry were all thrown back by the level of authority that Ava gained.

This sixteen year old girl was acting the most mature of them all.

"Right, now go." she said to both of the women.

"But we.." Emma was about to talk.

Ava raised her eyebrows as if to say 'If you disobey me, you will regret it'.

Emma put both her hands up. "Fine, I'll go".

Ava turned back to Regina. "I'll get him home by dinner"

"You'll be there too right?" Regina asked skeptically.

"Yeah…"

Regina nodded, and both women walked off in opposite directions.

Ava looked at Henry who had an strange expression on his face – Ava could tell he was dying to say something.

"What?" Ava asked.

"In my whole life – apart from Emma, no one has stood up to mom like that, and other than mom, no one has done the same to Emma."

Ava didn't know how to reply so she just smiled.

"Come on, let's go get some food." Henry walked to go into the diner, but Ava caught his arm.

"No, we're not going to Granny's" "What are we having then?"

A wide smile grew on Ava's face. She hadn't done this in a long time.

"Come with me". Henry did as she said.

They ended up at the local supermarket, buying all sorts of food – chicken, buns, coleslaw, potato salad – Ava threw in some candy for good measure.

With two plastic bags of food, Henry and Ava walked towards the woods.

Ava knew the perfect spot for them to eat. While they walked, she thought about whether she should tell Henry she remembers who she is.

She knew she could trust him, but didn't want him to know that the young girl Rumplestiltskin had abused in his book was in fact, her.

They walked through an area of dense bush before reaching Ava's spot she liked to call the 'safe haven'.

"Wow, this is incredible"Henry said as he stood in awe of the tranquil little lake.

She had found this place when she had run away once in the past.

She spent about a week out here before she went back home.

The grass that surrounded the small lake was a bright green. The water shimmered as the sunlight danced across it.

They sat down on the bit of flat land near the side.

Ava spread the food out across the ground. They both began to dig in, making their own specialized buns for lunch.

They sat and ate, staring at the mesmerizing glisten of the lake.

Ava had swallowed a bite of her sandwich before she started talking.

"So Henry, I wanted to tell you about something that happened to me last night."

Henry paused when he saw how serious Ava's face had become.

He lowered the bun from his mouth and looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I, well… I remembered."

Henry looked lost for a moment, before he realised what she meant.

"You…remember?"

"I remember _exactly _who I am. "

Henry's eyes widened.

He hadn't thought about it before, but Ava would have been a fairytale character too. Many names flew across his mind, but none seemed to fit

"Who… what..what's your name?" He asked, not knowing how else to put it.

Ava hesitated for a second, but decided to be truthful.

"Belle."

Henry's eyes began to water.

Ava knew that he knew exactly who Belle was, and the life she had lived in the enchanted forest.

Tears began to fall from Henry's eyes as he realised the pain that his sister had been put through.

She put out her hand and wiped away his tears.

"Henry, It's okay, I'm okay."

"But…he.. hurt ..you!" Henry managed to force the words out between sobs.

"Yes, he did, but it will _never _happen again, after all, now I have you to protect me" she said smiling at him.

He returned a faint smile and then crushed into Ava for a hug.

They sat like that for a couple of minutes before Ava pulled back.

Henry had so many questions for her; the first that popped out was a bit of a touchy subject.

"So…did you meet mom? As the Evil Queen?"

Ava smiled; she didn't want to put her hurt onto his shoulders.

"No…not that I remember" she lied, to keep him from more pain.

"You do realise that once the curse is broken and everybody knows who they are, moms probably going to kill him for what he did to you" Henry said strongly.

"Not if I get to him first" she joked.

The worried look on Henrys face alarmed her that he didn't take it as a joke. "I'm just joking Henry!"

His smile returned. "Wait, this means I was right all along! Emma is the savior, Mary-Margaret is Snow White – Emma's mom, my _grandma_." He said a wide grin plastered on his face

"Yeah, not gonna lie, Mary-Margaret looks a bit young to be a grandma"

They both started laughing.

"Wait, how _do _you remember who you are?"

"I don't know, last night I was having dinner with Mare and Emma, next thing I know –memory overload."

"What _exactly_ happened?"

"Well, we were talking about your fairytale thing, and I remembered how in the office yesterday, I heard mom call gold rumple, and him call her the Evil Queen. Then I felt a bit dizzy and it must have shown on my face because Emma grabbed my hand and asked if I was okay, then _everything _came back to me."

Henry smiled at her calling Regina 'mom' but didn't say anything – she hadn't realised she'd said it herself.

He then pondered for a second until his eyebrows rose in realization.

"Emma." He whispered

"What about her?" Ava asked

"She touched your hand right before you remembered everything?"

"Yeah…what's that got to do with anything?"

"Don't you see?" Henry asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Emma broke the curse for you. She is the product of true love- Snow White and Prince Charming's to be exact"

"So?"

"So…true love can break any curse!– and my mom, she's true love –personified."

It all made sense now. Emma's touch had broken the curse for Ava, but knowledge was now a curse in itself.

Ava's simple-ish life was great compared to Belle's – she was a slave for a monster, (unknowingly) the daughter of an Evil Witch, and treated nothing more than a worthless peasant.

Ava began to wonder how different her life would have been if she hadn't gone snooping through her father's stuff. None of this would have happened, and she wouldn't have to deal with any of it.

She reminded herself that she can't change the past, and on the Brightside, she gained an amazing little brother, and a new found sense of confidence.

* * *

Henry and Ava were now walking out of the woods, and towards 108 Mifflin Street.

Time passed so quickly in the woods, and it was already quarter to six.

Henry pushed open the black gate and held it open for Ava. She walked through but stopped right in front of him.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Act so… normal as you walk into the house of the Evil Queen?"

he laughed "I've lived with her my whole life, I guess I'm just used to it"

Ava smiled. She knew she had nothing to fear because Regina would never hurt her, but there was a voice in the back of her mind telling her to beware.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road" she said as she turned towards the front door.

Henry bolted in front of her, and eagerly pushed open the door, while Ava slowly walked up to it, and inside.

She took a deep breath and told herself 'it's just Regina, just Regina, just Regina'.

"Henry, Ava?" a deep and slightly husky voice called out from the kitchen.

Henry had already sprinted up to his bedroom, leaving Ava in the foyer alone.

Having no other option, she followed the voice until she reached the kitchen.

"Hi" she said quietly to Regina.

"Ava, I'm so glad you're here, please, sit, I'll just be a second"

Ava threw her a small awkward smile before sitting on a stool at the bench and watching the woman gracefully move around the kitchen.

Ava had to admit, that although they share the same body and name, the woman in front of her was hardly as Evil as the Queen back home.

Maybe she really was changing.

* * *

**So theres chapter 8! Hope you enjoyed it :) Reviews (and ideas) are appreciated! x P.S updates may become less frequent -as school is starting back next week - just a warning in advance.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off-

"Henry, Ava?" a deep and slightly husky voice called out from the kitchen.

Henry had already sprinted up to his bedroom, leaving Ava in the foyer alone.

Having no other option, she followed the voice until she reached the kitchen.

"Hi" she said quietly to Regina.

"Ava, I'm so glad you're here, please, sit, I'll just be a second"

Ava threw her a small awkward smile before sitting on a stool at the bench and watching the woman gracefully move around the kitchen.

Ava had to admit, that although they share the same body and name, the woman in front of her was hardly as Evil as the Queen back home.

Maybe she really was changing.

* * *

"So…how was lunch with Henry?" Regina inquired as she pulled her lasagna from the oven.

"Uh, It was nice"

"That's good to hear – what did you have at Grannys?"

"Oh, we didn't end up going to Granny's" Ava replied calmly.

Regina turned around to look at Ava. "Where did you go?" she said, tilting her head a bit to the right.

"We just got some food from the supermarket and had a… picnic I guess you could call it"

"Really? Where did you eat?"

Ava didn't want to tell Regina the truth as she didn't want a lecture as to why it was dangerous to go into the woods, especially without telling anybody.

"Just where the old wooden play house used to be" she lied.

It must have been pretty convincing because Regina just smiled and got back to setting up dinner.

"Henry! Get down here, dinners almost ready" Regina yelled.

A couple of minutes later, the patter of feet came towards the kitchen.

"Smells good"

"Lasagna" Regina grinned at him.

"Ava honey, would you mind grabbing the salad from the fridge, Henry, go and set the dining table please"

Both kids did as they were told on demand.

As they sat at the table, everyone ate in silence.

Ava and Henry made occasional eye contact, knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

'Awkward' was the common thought.

"So, how was your first night with Emma and Mary-Margaret?" Regina asked, screwing her nose up at 'Mary-Margaret' – Both Ava and Henry knew why.

"It was okay"

"Just okay?" a small smile crept onto Regina's face.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not the most comfortable of situations, but at least I have somewhere to sleep –even if it is on the most uncomfortable couch in history" Ava laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

"Well, I do have a spare room you know" Regina blurted out.

She had been waiting for an opportunity to invite Ava to stay with her and Henry, and she finally found one.

"Oh, uh, thanks… I think I'll stay where I am" "Ava, you just said yourself that you're uncomfortable there, and I don't think a couch is the best bed for a teenage girl who needs to be well rested. I can provide you with your own bed, and space – not to mention it would be permanent, and stable." Regina argued.

Ava could tell that Regina desperately wanted her there, and knew it would be a whole lot better than staying at Emma and Mary-Margaret's. She'd have her own space, and wouldn't be in the way.

She realised that if Regina ever got too much for her, she would have her own room and could simply shut the door on her.

"Okay" she said quietly.

Henry looked at her as if she were crazy- why would she want to put herself in this position.

Then he realised that he would have his sister living with him – and he wouldn't have to put up with Regina and her strict rules on his own.

A wide smile came across his face and Ava smiled back.

Regina was yet to say anything.

It was like she had expected Ava to reject her and was stunned at her acceptance to the offer.

"Okay?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, okay…"

Regina's smile became wider than Ava –and Henry for that matter- had ever seen it.

"Great! We can go pick up your stuff after dinner"

"Yeah okay -I'd better call Mary-Margaret before we head over there though"

"After you finish your food" Regina stated in a motherly tone. Ava kept eating.

Once they had all finished, Ava offered to clean up.

"Oh no dear, there's no need, I've got it" Regina protested to the help

"You cooked -cleaning up is the least I can do" Ava insisted.

Over the course of the night, Ava became increasingly more comfortable with talking to Regina and being around her.

She simply found that she had to block any Evil Queen memories out for the moment.

After taking the dishes into the kitchen, and putting them in the dishwasher, Ava headed to the phone – she knew where it was from the other night.

She picked up and dialed Mary's home phone number.

"Hello?" Emma answered.

"Hey Em, Its Ava, is Mary-Margaret around?

" "Nah, she's still out, Why's that? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine I just… I needed to tell her that I was going to stay at Regina's."

"You're what?"

"Going to stay at Regina's –it's just that she has a spare room, so I can have my own space and I won't be in any ones way or anything" Ava quickly said feeling she needed to defend herself.

"Ava, calm down. I get it – she's your mom."

Ava's lips curled.

"You guys have been so good to me but that couch is a pain in my ass – literally!"

Both women laughed through the phone.

"Would it be cool if we came and grabbed my stuff?"

"Yeah that's fine – bring Henry with you though, I want to apologize for not being able to have lunch with him today"

"Oh yeah…Sorry about that"

"its fine. You were right – Regina and I were both acting like idiots – how _was_ your lunch with Henry?"

"It was great"

"I'm really glad to hear that Ava. Anyway, come on over – pre warn Regina not to get on my bad side."

Ava laughed "Will do, see you soon" and with that she hung up the phone.

Walking back to the dining area Ava found Regina and Henry deep in conversation.

They were speaking so fast only god knows what they were talking about.

She found it funny how the two of them had their 'on' and 'off' days.

She may have been the 'Evil Queen' in Henry's mind, but she was still his mom – and he acknowledged that.

The amount of arguing between them was typical for a mother and a child.

Ava knew she'd end up having her own fair share of fights with Regina eventually.

"Well, we can go over- but you have to be polite to Emma" she said glaring at Regina.

"I'm not making any promises" she stated simply.

As if they were the same person, Henry and Regina stood for the table at the same time.

They all walked towards the front door, and Regina grabbed her car keys as they passed a small table on the way.

The car ride to Mary-Margaret's apartment was silent, and Ava found herself staring aimlessly out the window.

The town looked eerie at night time –like the ghost town's found in horror movies.

"Are you okay Ava?" Regina asked with concern in her voice, placing a hand on Ava's knee, but keeping her eyes on the road.

This caused Ava to snap out of her day-dream. "Uh, yeah I'm fine" she said looking at the woman, and then back out the window.

It was silent once more until they reached their destination.

Pushing the front door open like she owned the place, Ava walked into the dining area/kitchen/lounge.

"Emma, we're here!" she yelled facing the stairs.

Emma was almost always up there if she wasn't sitting at the dining tale eating or drinking.

"I'll be down in a sec"

Ava turned to look at Regina who was still standing under the door frame.

"You can come in you know" she stated.

"I'd rather not" Regina said coldly.

Ava just rolled her eyes, and wondered if Regina knew that Emma was the savior.

Emma walked down the stairs pulling her blonde locks back into a pony tail.

"Hey" she said in general, before pulling Henry into her side.

Regina just stared the woman down.

"sorry we didn't get to have lunch today Henry, how are you kid?" she asked the boy as he tried to pull away from her crushing grip.

"I's okay - I'd be...better...if I could...breathe" he said overly dramatically before Emma finally loosened her hold, smirking at him.

Ava walked over to the couch and put all her stuff that she'd spread across the couch and floor back inside in her bag.

"Did you by any chance get a hold of Mary-Margaret" she then asked Emma, concerned that Mary would be worried if she came home to a missing Ava.

"No her cell phone must have died, but as soon as she gets home I'll tell her what's happened"

"Okay, thanks" Ava smiled.

"Well, we better get going- it's getting late" Regina finally spoke up.

Emma gave Henry a final hug, before turning to Ava.

"Come here" she said, pulling Ava in close.

Ava wrapped her arms around Emma's waist.

Emma then whispered in her ear. "If she gets too much for you, remember you've always got a place here"

Ava pulled back: "Thanks" she said smiling.

Ava and Henry walked towards Regina, and Henry insisted on taking Ava's bag.

"It'll be too heavy for you Henry"

"I can handle it"

"Bet you can't"

"Bet I can"

"Fine" she said, giving in and passing the heavy bag to her little brother.

He slumped slightly when the weight was put on to him and Ava just giggled.

"See, told you I could handle it" he said proudly as he walked down the stairs.

Ava followed, and then Regina.

* * *

That evening, Ava lay on her stomach on her bed, starting/finishing the homework that she had promised Mary-Margaret she would get done.

Her Ipod was on full ball, and blasting through her earphones.

She hadn't even noticed Regina come into the room.

It was only when she felt a tap on her shoulder that she pulled one of her earphones out and turned her head.

"Hey, what's up?" Ava asked the older brunette standing by the side of the bed.

"I was just checking in, seeing if you're comfortable. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No thanks, I'm fine-thanks for giving me a room" she smiled –Regina returned the smile.

"What have you got there?"she then asked pointing at the mess of papers in front of Ava.

"Oh, just some algebra homework. I tell you what, I have a deep hatred for whoever came up with the 'bright idea' of putting the alphabet in math's"

Both of them laughed, until Regina spoke again.

"You're sure everything's alright? You seem a bit… distant"

"Yeah, honestly, I'm fine – I guess I'm just tired and stressed out that's all"

"Ava, if you're still worried about Gold trying to hurt us"

"Oh, no I'm not worried about that anymore. I've dealt with him"

Regina's eyes narrowed, "Define 'dealt with him'"

Ava mentally kicked herself. She shouldn't have even said that.

"I…just, know he won't do anything"

"and how _exactly _do you know?" Regina asked, knowing full well that Ava must have been to talk to him.

Ava ignored the question and just looked away guiltily.

"Ava, tell me the truth. Have you spoken to Gold since the time at my office?"

Ava threw a quick glance at Regina then back to her papers.

"You know, I really do need to get this stuff done"

"Ava." Regina dragged out in a low warning tone.

Ava sighed.

"Yeah, just one time"

Regina's face softened. She was glad Ava told her the truth.

"What happened? What did you say to him?"

"I just told him to back off, and not try anything he might regret…"

Regina raised an eyebrow as to say 'and in what way did you say that'.

Understanding Ava then quickly blurted out "I told him if he ever hurt you, Henry, or anyone else I care about, I'd beat the crap out of him"

Regina couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You said that?"

Ava just glared at her.

"Sorry, It's just, you're one of the nicest girls I've met, I just can't imagine you beating the _crap_ out of him…or anyone for that matter"she defended.

"Yeah, well you better not get on my bad side unless you want to see it for yourself" Ava joked.

Regina laughed and the put her hand out to touch Ava's face.

She cupped her cheek for a second, before moving her hand down, and tilting her chin up.

Her face had grown serious. "Next time, please don't go and see him alone. I don't trust him, and I don't want you getting hurt".

Ava gave a weak smile "Okay, I won't, I promise you – now, if you don't mind, you're distracting me from figuring out the value of 'x'"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'd better get out of your hair then –I'll get you up in the morning to get ready for school, and I'll drop you off on my way to the office."

Ava grinned, "Thanks".

Just as Regina was heading out the door, she turned around.

"Oh, and Ava…"

"Yeah?"

Regina hesitated

"Goodnight"

Ava smiled.

"Night"

Regina had intended on saying 'I love you' but the words simply got away from her.

* * *

Ava sat by herself on a concrete wall just outside the school, reading her book while eating her sandwich.

She did this every lunch time at school, because she didn't fit in with any of the 'cliques' (and Gold had always put people off her).

They all now knew she was the daughter of the mayor, who was the most hated woman in town.

Ava wondered why she was even mayor if everyone disliked her so much.

Today was different for Ava.

As she was turning the page of her book she heard a voice.

"What are you reading?"

Ava turned to look at who was talking to her.

She found a tall boy, the same age as her. He had short brown hair, slightly tanned skin tone, and striking green eyes.

"Oh, uh…The Kite Runner – we're studying it in English" she said nervously – she found the boy extremely attractive.

"Cool, I'm Nathan by the way" "I know… I'm Ava" she smiled.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you talking to me?" she asked

"Oh, I saw that you were alone and wondered if you'd like some company?"

Ava lifted an eyebrow. "Uh…sure, I guess"

She then moved over to make some space and the boy sat next to her.

"You don't have many friends do you?" he said, more as a statement then a question.

"What gave it away?" she said jokingly.

"Lets see, you're always sitting in this same spot every day, reading and hardly ever talk to anyone

" "That would be because people don't tend to want to be friends with the daughter of the biggest asshole in town –or the mayor."

"Fair point" he laughed teasingly.

"And why aren't you keeping your distance like everyone else?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know, you don't seem _that _bad to me"

"wow, thanks, it means a lot-truly" she said in a sarcastic tone as she dramatically placed a hand across her heart.

He started speaking again. "Anyway, I'm having a get together tonight, and I was wondering if you'd like to come?"

"You're inviting me to your party?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, my foster parents are out of town for the weekend, so my sister and I are having some friends over - but you don't have to come if you don't want to or if have other plans, I'll completely understand" he said quickly, his hands becoming clammy out of nervousness.

"I'll be there" she smiled.

She was in desperate need of a good time.

"When and where?" "Starts at 8, my place- I live at 18 Kinder St –it's just off the main road. It's the only two story house in the street, you can't miss it – I've got to go, I actually have a detention right now, but I knew you'd be here and didn't want to waste my opportunity to ask"

Ava smiled as the boy walked away.

She really like him and was looking forward to tonight – maybe she could finally make some friends.

* * *

It was 7 O'clock when Ava started getting ready for the 'get together'.

She had gotten all of her homework that was due tomorrow out of the way, and was ready for a good night.

She threw on a black dress that stopped just above her knees.

It accentuated her curves, and showed off her best feature – her legs.

She still had her charm bracelet on; along with the silver ring she'd had ever since she could remember.

She put on a minimal amount of make-up and pulled her hair back into a tidy ponytail.

Throwing on some ballet flats, she headed down stairs.

"I'm just going to go out for a while, I'll see you later." She yelled darting for the door, not giving Regina time to get there and protest – after all, it was a school night.

This attempt failed when Regina came flying out from the dining area.

"Where are you going?" she asked in a worried voice.

"Just to a friend's place"

"You look awfully dressed up to be going to a friend's place" Regina replied suspiciously.

"It's just a small get together – I'd rather not look like a hobo"

"So you're going to a party? Need I remind you that it is a Monday night, and you have school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I've done all my homework and It's not like I'm going to stay out _that_ late. What's the big deal?"

"the 'big deal' is that you didn't ask for my permission, and of course I wouldn't allow you to go to a party, with kids I don't know, most likely with no adult supervision, _on a school night_"

"Need I remind _you _that you've been my mom for what? 2 seconds. You don't get to dictate my life."

"I have been your mother ever since you were born! If I had known you were mine - I would have taken you back from Gold in a heartbeat."

"Just stop trying to act like you care! I knew how you were before you found out I was your kid, and you sure as hell wouldn't have given a crap about me then!"

Ava's statement referred mainly to her life back as Belle.

"Well, whether you believe it or not, I do care -and you are not going to that party"

"Whatever" Ava grunted as she walked back up the stairs towards her room, being sure to slam it behind her.

That was becoming her signature move.

At the sound of the crash, Regina jumped a bit.

She had never dealt with a snotty teenager before, so this was a completely new experience for her.

She shook her head and went into the lounge where Henry was.

He was watching a movie, and seemed content.

Regina then went into her study and fixed herself a drink.

She needed it.

* * *

Ava sat on the edge of her bed, allowing herself to calm down.

Once her heart rate was back to normal, she decided she wasn't going to let Regina ruin her night.

Ava put a couple of random object's under her bed sheets to imitate the image of her sleeping figure –just in case Regina came to check on her while she was 'asleep'.

She then pried open the heavy window, threw her bag and shoes down to the ground, and brought herself through it.

She then pulled the window back down as much as possible and began to carefully climb down the side of the house, grabbing onto anything she could find for support.

When she was close enough, she jumped onto the ground.

A striking pain shot up her legs when she landed, but it faded almost instantly.

Ava picked up her stuff and started walking towards 18 Kinder Street.

* * *

**There's chapter 9! I will try and get the next one up as soon as possible! Please leave me some reviews! It's very much appreciated :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off-

Ava picked up her stuff and started walking towards 18 Kinder Street.

* * *

It was about a twenty minute walk from Regina's house to Nathans, and Ava had planned so that she'd get there just on time.

As she approached the only 2 story house on Kinder street, she saw that the 'get together' had already started, and it was a bit more rowdy than she had expected.

The music was blasting, there were teenagers everywhere, drinking, talking, laughing – most of them Ava recognized from school.

She walked through herds of people before she finally got to the front door which was already open.

Letting herself inside, she walked around trying to find Nathan. From across an ocean of people, she managed to spot him.

He called her over.

"Hey! I'm glad you made it!" he said slightly slurred.

Ava giggled. "Did the party start a bit earlier than you had planned?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's just gone past 8 and you're already off your face"

"I am not" he said in an accent, as he tried to stand tall with good posture.

"You're a dork" she laughed.

He turned back into the drunken version of himself. "Come on, let's get you a drink"

"Oh, no I don't drink"

"Oh right –you're the Mayors kid –you can't have any fun can you" he joked.

"Are you seriously trying to sway me into having a drink by telling me I can't?"

"Depends, is it working?" He smiled. He had a perfect smile.

"Fine, just one though".

Nathan nodded, grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he headed to the kitchen.

"Well we've got beer, vodka, wine or punch that Amy made. What'll it be my lady?"

"I'll try the punch I suppose".

As Nate was pouring the drink, his sister Amy came bolting in the room.

"Nathan! It's them – they're on the phone, they want to talk to you, to make sure everything is ok"

"Shit! Okay"

He gave Ava her drink and then slapped himself in an attempt to sober up a bit before talking to his foster parents.

He turned back to Ava

"I'll be right back- you look stunning by the way" he said smiling.

Ava stood still as she tried to comprehend his compliment.

He was into her just as much as she was into him.

Ava decided to take a look around while she waited for Nathan to get off the phone.

She felt awkward not being friends with anyone, so started looking at things around the house.

She came to a table that had photos on it – and she saw a little Nathan.

Picking up the frame, she laughed about how small and dorky he was. It was a photo from school – the ones that are professionally taken.

"He used to be such a little noob" a voice came from her left. It was Nathans sister Amy.

"We were meant to take that photo together but I was 'sick' that day so I didn't have to go to school or get my photo taken" she giggled at the memory.

"You're the mayors daughter right? Everyone's been talking about you – no one even knew she had a kid"

"Yeah, it's complicated" Ava stated.

"Come with me, I'll introduce you to a couple of my friends" Amy then said, practically dragging Ava with her.

"Girls – this is Ava" she said as she brought Ava towards 2 girls.

"Ava this is Grace and Charlotte"

"Hey" Ava said in a small voice.

"Hey – I know you – you're Gold's daughter" stated Charlotte "and the mayors" Grace followed.

"Yup, that's me" Ava replied awkwardly.

"How are you even allowed to be at this party?" Charlotte blurted out between hiccups.

Ava began to wonder if there was anyone sober at this party – and it was only 9pm.

"Honestly? Regina doesn't even know I'm gone".

All three of the girls' eyebrows shot up in unison. Charlotte began to speak once again.

"Let me get this straight – You sneaked out of _Mayor Regina Mills' _house to come to a party?"

"Yeah pretty much"

"Although I appreciate how badass that is- She's so going to know you're here –she has eye's everywhere" Grace stated.

"Doubt it" Ava shrugged.

While Ava was talking, she had finished her drink – without having noticed.

"Oh, I'll get you another drink" Amy murmured as she took Ava's cup before leaving for the kitchen.

Ava decided 'what the hell', why shouldn't she just have a good night and be happy for the first time in a long time?

As the night progressed, Ava downed multiple drinks –some of which she had no idea the substance.

The alcohol gave her a false sense of confidence and she began chatting away to many different people.

She was talking to some guy named Darren when she saw it.

She saw Nathan kissing Amy's friend Charlotte on the couch only a few steps away from her.

Ava knew that he knew she liked him, and vice versa, and couldn't understand why he was doing what he was doing.

She ended her conversation with Darren and stumbled across to the couch.

She threw the remainder of her drink on Nathan. "Scumbag" she managed to hiss before she attempted to walk to the front door.

Ava's head was spinning and she could barely tell which way was up.

All of a sudden, people were rushing past her through the front door. Ava was confused and felt dizzy.

All she could hear was someone bellowing "Right party's over everybody out!"

She recognized the voice – it was Emma.

She knew she should be freaking out because the party she was not meant to be at was being raided by her adoptive brother's birth mother, but she was calm – it must have been the amount of alcohol in her system.

"Ava?" she then heard come from the same voice.

"What the **hell** are you doing here?" Emma said as she began to pull the drunken Ava up off the floor.

"Um, you know…having a good time" she slurred struggling to find her feet.

"You're drunk. Your moms going to kill you"

"Probably" Ava said calmly – Emma meant it figuratively, Ava meant it literally.

"You're not even legal to drink Ava. I don't understand why such a smart girl like you would get yourself into this mess"

"Well maybe I'm not who you think I am" she said simply.

"Come on, I'm taking you home" Emma insisted as she pulled Ava's arm across her shoulder and pulled her out to her car.

Emma opened up the door of the passenger seat and carefully put Ava down.

She then slammed the door shaking her head in disappointment.

Before starting the car, Emma made a phone call –Ava's best guess was that it was Regina on the other line.

"She's fine okay, calm it, I'm bringing her home now".

She put her phone down a second later and looked over at Ava.

"Seriously Ava, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Apparently I've not been thinking what everyone wants me to not be thinking" she said in a drunken slur that made no sense whatsoever.

The drive back to Regina's felt like it was taking forever.

"You can't take me to Regina's"

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Emma played along.

"Because she is going to kill me"

"'Kill' is a bit overly dramatic – yell at and probably ground you seems more reasonable"

"The Evil Queen kills not grounds" Ava stated matter-of-factly.

"Good thing she's not the Evil Queen and is just Mayor Regina Mills"

"annnd that's where you're wrong"

Emma looked at her like she was being ridiculous "you've been around Henry too much- not to mention, have consumed way to much alcohol, you're going to have a killer headache in the morning"

"That's an interesting word choice" Ava laughed. "You don't even understand" she then continued

"What's there to understand? You're a drunken mess who doesn't want to face her bat shit crazy mom who is going to be incredibly angry"

"Partially true- but you left out the part where she's the Evil Queen – I would know, I've met her before"

Emma looked at her like she belonged in an asylum.

"I'm not crazy – I remember who I am – or who I _was_ back in our land. My name was Belle and I was Rumplestiltskins slave, and you, you're the savior –Snow white and Charming's daughter. Huh, I guess that makes me older than you –so you should be doing what I say"

Ava laughed then carried on

"Henry was right all along – if only you'd see it"

Ava could tell that Emma didn't believe a word she was saying.

"You know, I used to get beaten" she said calmly.

That sparked up Emma who turned to look at her.

Ava's eyes watered at the memory of being on the brink of death multiple times in the short 16 years of life she'd lived at Belle.

"When I was eight, Rumple threw me down a flight of stairs because I hadn't wiped down the stuff in his china cabinet properly."

Emma's eyes widened –Ava wouldn't lie about something so serious – even in her drunken state.

She wanted to kill Gold right now for having hurt Ava.

"When I was 13, he beat me and burnt me in front of the queen – in front of my own mom, and she did nothing to help me"

The second memory hurt her most, and tears began streaming down the young girls face.

Her sobs became louder with every passing moment.

Emma felt sorry for the girl.

She put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she drove, and began massaging it.

"Shh, calm down Ava, everything is okay, everything will be fine. I'll take you home and you can go to bed – you'll feel better in the morning."

Ava sniffed and the tears eventually stopped. She was now just breathing heavily and shaking.

When they pulled into Regina's driveway, Emma could see a silhouette moving towards the car.

Regina pulled open Ava's door to find the shaking drunken mess that was her daughter.

She tried to contain her rage, but she couldn't help herself.

"What the **_hell_**were you thinking sneaking out and completely disobeying me?" Regina yelled.

"Regina, just calm down, yelling at her isn't going to do anything at the moment – save it for the morning"

Regina glared at Emma before taking a deep breath and nodding.

"Come on, let's get you inside" She then said in a still bitter tone, once she'd collected herself.

She slung an arm around Ava's waist and hoisted her out of the car.

Emma came round the side, shut the door and put Ava's arm across her shoulders.

Emma and Regina worked as a team to get Ava up into her room.

Ava made things ten times worse by falling asleep with her head on her mother's shoulder halfway up the stairs.

When they had finally reached Ava's bedroom, the women dropped the dead weight onto the bed before taking a moment to catch their breath.

Regina walked Emma out to her car.

"Thank you for getting her home safely Ms Swan"

"You're welcome" she said smiling awkwardly.

"I think you should talk to Ava about what her life was like with Gold"

"Why do you say that?" Regina replied

"You'll have to ask her yourself – it's not my place to say anything"

Regina glared at the woman once more

"What has she told you sheriff? I'm her mother – I have a right to know"

"It might have just been the alcohol talking, but I suggest you ask her if he's ever hurt her – physically"

Regina's eyes widened, and watered.

She knew Ava had been abused back in the enchanted forest, but she had no idea she had been hurt here too.

Pulling herself together she thanked Emma for bringing her home once more, before heading inside.

She walked up towards Ava's bedroom.

The young girl was sprawled out across the bed fully clothed.

Regina quietly entered the room.

She took off Ava's shoes, and then pulled the blanket over her small body.

Regina sat near the top of the bed, and pulled Ava's head into her lap.

She slowly and gently untied Ava's hair, and began combing her fingers through it.

"I am so sorry he hurt you, my baby – I should have stopped him when I had the chance, even if I didn't know you were mine back then" she whispered tears forming in her eyes.

She didn't know it, but Ava was still awake – and fairly sober now.

Ava nuzzled her head into Regina's folded leg.

She then whispered back to her mother.

"I know you did horrible things in the past as the queen, but I really hope I can one day forgive you because I _do_ love you, mom".

The words leaked from her mouth, without her even thinking.

Regina sat so in shock of the word 'queen' that she didn't even realize Ava called her 'mom'.

She turned her gaze to Ava. "What?" she questioned, but Ava had already fallen asleep.

Regina knew exactly what Ava said, but didn't understand how she could know.

The thought of Ava remembering that Regina had seen her being tortured one time and did nothing about it killed her.

But _how _did Ava remember who she was?

Having Ava know she was the Evil Queen was the last thing Regina ever wanted.

What if Ava never forgave her?

Losing her daughter the first time was hard enough; Regina couldn't take losing her again.

* * *

**Chapter 10! Hope you enjoyed it :) Will update as soon as. To answer Dasie's question - the reason I decided to make Ava, Belle was because Ava was born/lived in the enchanted forest (so was cursed too) - and therefore needed to be a fairytale character. Her connection with Rumple (in that she was given to him as a baby through a deal- and was also Regina's first (and only) born child) was meant to resemble the original tale of Rumplestiltskin (except in my story, he got what he wanted). I could have made up a random identity, but I decided to go with Belle because I thought it'd be more interesting if i were to manipulate a relationship that people had already seen on the show - and I'm basically re-using the whole "beauty and the beast" idea- though the thing that makes rumple a beast is not so much what he looks like, but more the fact that he physically and emotionally hurt Belle/Ava and kept her locked up in his castle as his slave.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

I'm so so so sorry about the incredibly delayed update – I've had a crazy time lately and couldn't find any time to write D: It's also a fairly short chapter but I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

Where we left off-

The thought of Ava remembering that Regina had seen her being tortured one time and did nothing about it killed her.

But _how _did Ava remember who she was?

Having Ava know she was the Evil Queen was the last thing Regina ever wanted.

What if Ava never forgave her?

Losing her daughter the first time was hard enough; Regina couldn't take losing her again

* * *

Ava's head pounded, mimicking the beat of a Native American drum.

Her entire body felt too heavy to move, and when she finally rolled to her side, Ava's stomach churned.

An acidic feeling crept up her throat, and she tried to swallow it down.

Her mouth was dry and a bitter taste lingered on her tongue.

While Ava was becoming more aware of herself, she began to open her eyes.

She found her mother sitting on one of the seats across from her bed, sound asleep.

She looked peaceful when she slept – vulnerable even. Ava couldn't help but stare at the seemingly lifeless body.

'How could _she_ have been the evil queen?' She wondered to herself.

It was at this thought that Ava remembered what she had said to her mother that night:

Something along the lines of her doing "horrible things in the past as the queen"

and also something about one day, forgiving her because she loves her as her mom.

'Fuck' was all Ava could think. How did she let herself slip up so badly?

Would her mom remember her saying anything about her being the queen?

Of course she would! -she thought to herself

Ava was completely freaking out now.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then returned to staring at the sleeping figure in the corner.

Ava knew that if she_ was_ going to hurt her, Regina would have done it by now.

She dragged her legs to the right of the bed, and pulled herself upwards.

The sudden movement caused Ava's head to spin.

She closed her eyes, hoping it would allow her to create a sense of stability, but it only made things worse.

"Are you okay?" she heard a husky voice come from the seat across the room.

Ava nodded slowly – which meant 'no'. Regina moved towards Ava hesitantly.

It was as if she was wondering whether or not Ava remembered saying anything to her about her...past.

Ava tried to stand, and stumbled a bit, before Regina came to the rescue and stopped her from kissing the floor.

Ironic really – that the evil queen who once inflicted pain was now preventing it.

"Thanks" Ava whispered.

She wasn't sure if she could get the words out without projectile vomiting across the room.

Regina's initial smile dropped after a second.

"Don't think you're not in huge trouble"

"I know" Ava mumbled

"But for now, could you help me to the bathroom – I'd rather vomit in the toilet than on the floor - unless of course - you _want_ stains on your crème carpet, then I'd be more than happy to.."

Without another word, Regina helped the teenager to the bathroom to do her business.

She held back the young girls hair and rubbed circles on her back.

Regina couldn't help but notice the resemblance between this scene and the one when she told her mother she was pregnant.

Ava flushed the toilet, wiped her face, and headed toward the basin to wash up and brush her teeth.

Regina backed up, and stood watching her daughter clean herself up.

"About what you said last night"Regina pushed out as she looked into the eyes reflected in the mirror in front of her.

She saw them widen and knew then that Ava had indeed remembered what she had said.

"I…" Regina began, but worlds failed her.

Ava instantly spat the foamy toothpaste from her mouth into the sink and turned around.

"Well, I'm going to sleep for a bit." She tried to ignore Regina's gaze.

"Ava I…"

"I just... I can't even do this right now" She forced herself to look into Regina's eyes.

All she could find behind the thin layer of murky brown was regret and hurt.

"Please, just let me expl…"

Without allowing Regina to finish her sentence, Ava darted across the hallway to her room and pushed the door shut.

She sat on the floor up against the now closed door, cocked her head backwards and began to sob.

A hot stream of tears burnt her cheeks. Ava couldn't quite tell what she was feeling – It was a jumbled mixture of anger, hurt, sadness, relief and pity.

These feelings were ones which she had no control over, and although a complete breakdown was the last thing she needed, it happened anyway.

Seconds later a small knock came to the door.

"Ava, please just let me talk to you. I need you to understand my side of things".

Regina could hear the sobbing behind the door and her heart began to tighten.

"I know you're listening to me, and I know you love me – I love _you _even more than you can even imagine, and I am so sorry that I didn't stand up for you back in our land. I had no idea you were my daughter. I was told you were sent to another realm – you weren't even supposed to be affected by this curse. If I had known who you were and where you were, I promise you I would never have done any of this. I would never intentionally hurt you, and I would never intentionally _let_ anyone hurt you. What I told you the first night you came here, was all true. I've loved you ever since I knew of your existence Ava, and I am so incredibly sorry for the pain and suffering you've had to endure because of me."

The words just dropped from Regina's mouth and came out all over the place.

She didn't know what else to say, but sorry. How could she possibly make up for what she'd done?

A small voice spoke up from the other side of the white.

"You should have done _something_, **anything**, regardless of whether or not you knew who I was. I was a **thirteen year old girl **being beaten! How could you allow that to happen?"

Ava's voice shook and rose as she spoke.

"How can anyone be so messed up that they can't tell right from wrong anymore. You lost your love? My father I assume? Yeah, that would have been insanely hurtful, and I can't even imagine what it must have felt like, but it shouldn't have turned you into the horrible person you became. You condoned abuse – hell, you've killed people!"

Ava began to breathe heavily.

"You don't understand. He was my true love, and because of Snow White, he was taken from me – and so were you! I wasn't going to let her get away with it – I had to do something. Please open the door Ava" Regina stated but was startled by Ava's reply.

"**None of that excuses murder**.

" Regina looked down and closed her eyes.

"I know…but I _am_ trying to change! To be a better person - for you – for Henry. I don't want to be that person anymore Ava – I'm NOT that person anymore, please, just give me the opportunity to show you that"

Ava said nothing.

She wanted to believe what her mother was saying, but just couldn't bring herself to give the woman a chance – not just yet anyway.

"Just leave me alone."

"Please, Ava…"

"I'll think about it – but for now, just leave me - leave everyone alone!"

Regina placed a hand on the door handle.

This was the closest she could get to Ava's touch at the moment, and she was willing to take what she could get.

Without her knowing it, Henry was standing a couple of feet away, eyes wide in shock.

Though he knew his fairytale theory was correct, he never imagined hearing anything about it from the lips of the Evil Queen herself.

"So it's true?" he spoke up.

Regina turned her gaze to him.

"Henry…" she said softly.

"You made it so no one would believe me – you made me feel like I was crazy!"

"Henry, I'm sorry"

"No you're not!" He said as he sprinted down the stairs, now bawling too.

Regina followed him, but was too late as she heard the front door crash.

She knew exactly where he was going, but chose to let him be for now.

* * *

Henry ran. He ran as fast as his little legs would take him.

The apartment was only a couple of minutes from here and he needed to get to Emma before she left for work that morning. Soon, Henry found himself out the front door.

He knocked until there was an answer.

"One knock would have sufficed kid" Emma stated rubbing her eyes.

He ignored her comment and walked into the apartment, stopping by the dining table.

It was when he turned to face Emma once again, when she noticed his tear stained cheeks.

"Oh kid, what's going on?" she walked up to him and pulled him into her.

He wrapped his arms around her small waist and refused to let go.

After a couple of minutes, he pulled back and wiped his face with the back of his hands.

Emma gave him a 'what's wrong?' look, to which he responded "I was right."

Emma knew exactly what he meant, but still thought the whole idea was crazy. "Right about what?" she indulged.

"Everything – the curse, my mom, **_your_** mom" he turned towards the stairs then back towards Emma.

"My mom, Regina, she's the Evil Queen – I heard her say it myself, Ava – she's Belle, like beauty and the beast – except the beast is Rumplestiltskin – or Mr Gold. And Mary-Margaret…she's Snow White – she's your mom-my grandma!"

He then turned to sit at a stool by the bench. But something else caught his attention- the plastic container on the counter top.

"What's that?"

"An apple turnover- Regina gave it to me – as an apology for the fight we got into outside the diner the other day"

"Apple!?"

"Yeah…"

"You can't eat it – it's poisoned!"

"Henry, you've got to stop thinking like this"

"But it's the truth!"

"Look , it's not poisoned kid, I'll prove it to you." Emma moved towards the container, and took the turnover out.

"No!" Henry jumped forward and took it from her hands.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry it had to come to this. You may not believe in the curse or in me, but I believe in you."

And with that, he took a bite from the turnover. Nothing happened.

"See, I told y…" Henry fell to the floor.

"Henry, cut it out." She laughed.

He didn't move.

"Henry, I'm serious."

Still, nothing.

"Henry?" Emma whispered.

There was still no reply

"Henry!" She yelled a final time, moving closer to the boy – she felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there, and that was all she needed.

She quickly moved to call an ambulance and silently prayed that everything would be ok

- if anything happens to him, someone's going to pay.

* * *

**So there's a short chapter 11! I promise chapter 12 will be regular length and will try to get it up as soon as I can! I'll apologize in advance for the wait! Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? anythinnng? let me know! I love reading your reviews :) Sorry once again for the late update! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

Where we left off-

"Henry!" She yelled a final time, moving closer to the boy – she felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there, and that was all she needed.

She quickly moved to call an ambulance and silently prayed that everything would be ok

- if anything happens to him, someone's going to pay.

* * *

**Back at the 108 Mifflin Street.**

The sound of Regina's repeatedly ringing cell phone travelled through the air.

It was only when Regina finally gave up on convincing Ava to open up her door when Regina retreated back to her own bedroom to answer the phone.

It rang once more, this time, with an answer.

"Hello…yes, who else could this be?…"Regina spat through the phone.

The current situation had done no good for her hot temper.

"What?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, her eyes widening.

"I'll be right there" she stated, shoving the phone in her pocket, tears began to form in her eyes.

Instantly, Regina sprinted – or rather, moved as fast as one could in a pair of four inch heels- in the direction of Ava's room.

Smacking violently on the closed door, she began to speak.

"Ava, open up the damn door, we need to get down to the hospital."

Seconds later she got a reply.

"Why?" a small voice came.

"It's Henry".

The door was immediately opened at the name.

"What's wrong with him?"

"They don't know yet."

Regina reached her hand around and put it on the small of Ava's back, gently pulling her from the bedroom, and towards the stairs.

Ava allowed her to.

"We need to get there as soon as" Regina said, now walking behind Ava down the stairs.

Ava put on a pair of black canvas shoes that were near the front door and before they knew it, both women were out in the car.

Neither had thought about how awkward this car ride would be until they both caught their breath, and the silence made itself noticed.

Ava knew Regina was going to try and talk to her, and she decided she was having none of it.

As if on cue, she heard Regina barely whisper. "I _am_ sorry".

Ava quickly glanced at the woman to find anything that would convince her that she was genuine.

Her eyes said it all, and they could never lie. A single tear rolled down Ava's cheek before she let out a small sigh –made of mainly relief.

She was relieved that her mother really wasn't as Evil as she used to be.

Relieved that she wouldn't have to 'hate' a woman whom all she wanted to do was love.

Relieved that maybe- just maybe- she could get to know the woman who gave her life.

She turned her gaze out the window, and sat quiet for the rest of the drive.

Regina knew that the look on Ava's face meant she had an opportunity to make things right.

This second chance was exactly what she needed to get her happy ending –

only one thing now stood in the way of that-

the fact that her son was lying almost lifeless in a hospital bed.

Even just the possibility of her son losing this battle scared the crap out of Regina, but she knew one thing.

There was no way in hell she would allow death to take something so precious from her _again._

* * *

**Back at the hospital**

"Henry, Henry can you hear me? C'mon Henry, wake up!"

Emma shook the boys shoulder as his hospital bed was being rolled through to a ward.

"Ma'am" a nurse tried to pry Emma away from her son.

"I am NOT going anywhere!" She yelled, glaring at the nurse for a split second before turning her attention back to the small boy.

Dr Whale was examining him

"There's no pupil response, what happened? Did he fall? Hit his head?"

"He ate this, I think it's poisoned" Emma replied, bringing up a plastic bag containing what was left of the turnover.

Dr Whale checked the boy's airway, which was clear.

"Did he vomit? Any convulsion?"

"HE TOOK A BITE OF THIS AND JUST COLLAPSED" Emma replied angrily, shoving the plastic into the doctors face.

She composed herself slightly.

"Run some tests for arsenic, bleach, or anything else that could have possibly caused this!"

"The boy is showing no symptoms that suggest neurotoxins, so whatever's going on..." He held up the plastic bag to Emma's face, as she had just done to him.

"This, is not the culprit"

It was silent for a moment, before Emma spoke once more.

"He's going to be ok though right?" she asked, her eyes beginning to water.

Whale sighed.

"Right now, we need to stabilize him – is there anything else you can remember? Any tiny detail?"

Her anger rose almost instantly.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU EVERYTHING, DO SOMETHING" she said, frustrated.

She stormed over to another bed and emptied the contents of Henrys bag onto it.

"Ms. Swan, I understand you're frustrated, but there's no possible explanation, it's like…"

Emma looked down at the arrangement of items spread out.

Her eyes scanned them and then fell upon the one thing that could explain this.

"like…magic" she stated, picking up the book.

Her head began to spin, and after a few seconds, things became a bit clearer.

She was small, and in the arms of… Mary-Margaret? What the, and then she was in the arms of David – and he was fighting a group of…guards?

Blood, the shade of a deep, royal, red, was leaking from his shoulder.

"Find us" was the last thing she heard leave the man's lips before wooden doors separated them.

Emma was quickly brought back to reality.

* * *

Regina pushed through the glass doors into the ward in which her son was, Ava closely following her.

"Where's my son!?" She demanded, taking no notice of the blonde standing on the other side of the room.

She walked up to the bed and looked down at the small form lying there.

Tears began to fall.

Ava noticed Emma standing in the corner and swore she heard Emma mumble the words "you did this".

Emma then moved towards Regina and forcefully grabbed her by the arm.

She dragged the older woman out towards a supply cupboard and slammed her into the shelves.

Ava ran after the women, but was shut out of the room. She banged on the door, screaming for them to stop.

All she could hear from this side of the door was yelling.

"YOU DID THIS!"

"What the HELL are you doing?!"

A huge crash came from inside and Ava felt worried for Emma's safety- she was up against the evil queen and she didn't even know it.

"Stop this! My son!" She heard Regina's voice screech.

"HE'S SICK BECAUSE OF YOU! THAT APPLE TURNOVER YOU GAVE ME – HE ATE IT!"

"What!? It was meant for you!"

"It's true isn't it"

Ava stood there frozen- she knew exactly what Emma meant. But how did she know?

"What are you talking about?"

"TELL ME THAT IT'S TRUE."

Things went silent for a moment.

Ava pushed her ear up against the door but the women were now talking so quietly that she couldn't hear a word.

After a couple of minutes, the door opened, and Emma stood there, teary eyed.

"Emma! Are you okay? What the HELL is going on?" Ava sounded just like her mother.

"I'm fine Ava, come on, we need to stay with your brother"

Emma turned to glare at Regina before walking towards Henry's bed.

Ava turned her look to Regina.

"What is going on – what did you do!?" Ava said, unable to contain the anger which prevailed through her voice.

"I…" Regina couldn't speak. Ava knew exactly what she had done.

**_Apple _** turnover. She had heard the story of what Regina had done to Snow White when she put her under a sleeping curse.

She put the pieces of the puzzle together for herself.

"You're un-fucking believable. All you do is hurt people!"

Regina began to cry.

"Fix this – if he dies…" Ava couldn't finish her sentence.

She took a deep breath and gave Regina a look that could kill.

She then shook her head and reiterated her last comment.

"Fix this!" She then turned on her heel, and headed to be next to her brother.

Regina watched on as Emma stood back so Ava could be next to her little brother.

Her daughter brushed her fingers through her son's hair.

Regina's heart began to beat so hard it felt as though it would come right out of her chest any minute.

"Come on Henry, you need to come back, come back to us…come back to me"

Ava began to cry, her salty tears landing on Henry's cheeks.

Her little brother was lying there, lifeless, and she could do nothing to help him.

Emma placed her hand on Ava's back, rubbing small circles in an attempt to comfort the young girl.

It only made Ava cry harder. Leaning over Henry's tiny figure, she whispered into his ear.

"Come back Henry, you were right about everything, and your mom knows it. You can't leave now"

She was now shaking. She pulled back and put her hand on his.

The monitors in his room began to scream violently.

"What…what's.. that?!-" Ava said, looking around frantically.

Nurses rushed into the room, and pulled both Ava and Emma out of the room.

"No, let me go!" Emma yelled.

"I want to be with my son!"

The nurses ignored her wishes, and brought both women out to the other side of the glass where Regina was now standing in shock.

After a couple of minutes, Dr Whale finally came back out to the waiting room.

He gave a look of condolences, and though everyone in the room knew, he had to say it aloud for it to be real.

"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do"

He took a step aside, so the 3 women could enter the room.

They all stood around the bed, Emma to right of him, Regina to the left, and Ava at the end of the bed.

Emma pushed the stray hair scratching Henrys eyelids back.

Her face turned red, and a stream of boiling tears fell.

Her bottom lip trembled as she moved towards his forehead

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you…I love you" were her final words before Emma leant forward for a kiss.

She gently pushed her lips against his soft skin, and stayed for a second.

A feeling of freedom washed over everyone. Emma pulled back, and Henrys eyes fluttered open.

"I love you too" he said, smiling.

Regina and Ava both stood there in shock.

The boy had just come back from the dead.

Emma looked around, and made eye contact with Regina. She smiled.

The smile quickly dropped, when she noticed that the people who had come into the room were acting…strange.

"Henry… what's going on?" she asked, not looking at the boy, thinking he might have an explanation considering he knew everything else.

"I- I think you broke it…" He stated proudly.

Regina finally spoke up.

"No…" she said in disbelief.

She wasn't so much worried about the curse –more that she would lose her kids.

The blue fairy, who was one of the people who had entered the room spoke up.

"If I were you, _your majesty" _she hissed.

I'd find a place to hide."

Regina looked at Ava and then at Henry.

She moved towards the two of them, and took one of each of their hands into her own.

"No matter what I've done in the past, what you think, or what anybody else tells you, I do love you…"

she looked at Henry, and then back to Ava "both of you."

She released her now tight grip on the two, and without another word, darted out the door.

* * *

On her way out, Regina walked into the very two people she did not want to see- Mary-Margaret, and David, or Snow and Charming.

"Regina" Snow said in an angry tone.

Regina simply ignored the woman, got in her car and drove.

The two of them shook their heads and let her go – there was something or rather _someone_ more important that they needed to see –

their daughter .

* * *

**Sooo there's chapter 12! Hope you enjoyed it :) Apologies about the wait - I've been crazy busy lately! I decided to stick (sort of - minus the dragon) to the shows curse breakage, just because i liked it that way. I always appreciate your reviews + feedback! It puts a smile on my face- especially to those of you who review most chapters- your kind words motivate me, so thankyou! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**You may want to re-read the previous chapter to refresh yourself on whats going on since I've been incredibly slack in the "updating" department!**

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

On her way out, Regina walked into the very two people she did not want to see- Mary-Margaret, and David, or Snow and Charming.

"Regina" Snow said in an angry tone.

Regina simply ignored the woman, got in her car and drove.

The two of them shook their heads and let her go – there was something or rather _someone_ more important that they needed to see –

their daughter .

* * *

Mary-Margaret and David. Snow and Charming. Who were these people?

Emma didn't know, and wasn't quite ready to find out just yet, but there was no avoiding it.

The two walked through the door a short while after Regina left. Emma's eye's locked with Ava's.

Ava was about to leave, and give Emma and her newly found family space, when Emma grabbed hold of her arm.

She needed support. Henry and Ava were the only ones she had in the moment, and she wasn't letting one of them slip away.

"Emma" Mary-Margaret, or was it Snow now? – breathed. Both women's eyes watered.

Snow took a step towards the grown woman, whom she couldn't believe was her daughter.

She studied the now fully grown woman in front of her, before cupping her cheeks in her hands.

Emma stood, somewhat shocked at herself for allowing a stranger to touch her – this wasn't the quiet, self conscious school teacher – or her best friend, anymore.

"You saved us" James spoke up.

"She saved all of us" Snow added, leaning into hug the blonde.

Emma freed her hand from Ava's arm, and wrapped Snow up in her arms.

She was hugging her mother. It was a strange, yet comforting feeling.

Warmth spread throughout her body.

She felt another hand being gently placed on the back of her head - and she knew it was Dav- her weird was that?

Emma's eyes opened, and she peered across Snows shoulder at Ava and Henry who were smiling from ear to ear.

After a moment, Emma pulled away.

She knew Mary-Mar- Snow and Charming, wanted to keep their tight grip on her, but she needed her space.

This was all too overwhelming. She moved back to let Snow and Charming 'meet' their grandson.

Although Ava's heart warmed at the site, she felt like a bit of a 5th wheel.

It was because of this, she decided to sneak from the room, and outside.

A couple of minutes later, a purple smoke engulfed the room and faded quickly

"What was that?" Emma stated.

"Nothing good" Snow replied, tightening her grip on her grandson.

* * *

Walking down the streets after the purple haze had disappeared; Ava watched many re-unions, feeling slightly envious that she didn't get a happy reunion of her own.

The only reunion she could possibly get would be the complete opposite of happy.

Horrible would even be an understatement.

Without thought, Ava realised she had walked towards the library.

She always had a love for books, and knew that the Storybrooke library was never open.

Curiosity pricked at her mind, and egged her on to have a look inside the abandoned building.

She then shrugged. "Meh, what the hell" she whispered to herself.

With everything that was going on, she doubted that anyone would care if she took a peek into the library, and escaped the madness for a while.

She pulled on the padlock attached to the door, and examined it- but quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way she could get past it.

"Maybe another time" she spoke to herself aloud.

"Maybe not" a disturbingly high pitched and all too familiar voice came, sending shivers down her spine.

She turned in the direction the voice came from.

"What do _you _want?"

"Oh, nothing you could give me deary" Rumplestiltskin replied hastily.

"Just answer me this, how does it feel?" He then stated simply as if Ava should know what the hell he was talking about.

"What?" she questioned, her eyes narrowing.

"Knowing your dear old mum is just as evil as the man who imprisoned you. She could have helped you, and she didn't. How does it make you feel? To be so…unloved? Uncared for? Worthless?"

Ava just looked the man down.

Who was he to tell her she was all these things when he was the definition of unlovable?

She turned without giving him the satisfaction of a reaction, and simply walked away.

* * *

Ava let her legs take her wherever they chose once again, only this time, she ended up somewhere she didn't expect she would allow herself to go.

108 Mifflin Street.

The mansion looked the same as it always did.

Ava put her hand on the slightly rusted gate.

She hesitated for a moment, but then confidently pushed the gate open.

She thought about the words Regina had said earlier that morning, and the sincerity in her voice – even more so when she said she loved her and Henry at the hospital.

Ava couldn't deny that she loved the woman back.

She knew she had done terrible things in the past, but that didn't take away the fact that this was her mother, nor did it change the fact that she had come to love the woman she is today- not the Evil Queen, just Regina Mills.

Unsure if Regina was even here, Ava knocked on the door.

Minutes passed and there was no answer.

She took a step back and looked up into the bedroom window which belonged to her mother.

Then, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Ava looked down and saw that she had 8 previously missed calls.

She then answered this one

"Hello?"

"Ava! Where are you? We didn't even see you leave the room and one of the nurses said you left the hospital."

Mary-Marga- damnit- Snow- said- unable to hide the worry in her voice.

"I'm fine, don't worry, I just thought you guys could do with some space. I'm…just at Henrys castle" she lied – she knew everyone would worry more if they knew she was outside Regina's house.

"Okay, well, no one knows where Regina is, and you need to keep safe- I want you to come to the apartment and stay with us."

"But I.."

"Ava.." Emmas voice came.

"She's my _mom_, and I know she's done horrible stuff, but she wouldn't hurt me"

At least that's what Ava kept telling herself.

"They're just worried about you Av, you should come stay with us, Regina's out there somewhere..it's not safe" Came Henry's small voice.

"You guys have me on loud speaker? Seriously?"

"We just want to make sure you're ok and safe" Emma's voice came back once again.

"I know, and I love you all for it, but there's something I need to do."

"You're not really at Henry's castle are you?"

A moment of silence gave Emma her answer.

"Just be safe" Emma pleaded

"And call if you need anything" Charming's voice came.

"I will – I'll see you guys later at the apartment" and with that, Ava hung up.

Her head moved up towards the front door again.

She couldn't think of anywhere Regina could have possibly gone.

Then it hit her.

Henry had told her once about Regina's father's grave in the local cemetery.

Maybe she was there.

Before going on this quest to find her mom, Ava figured she might as well call Regina's cell.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang.

No answer.

"C'mon on mom" she said to nobody.

A moment later, the ringing stopped, and Ava heard a muffling sound.

"Hello?" a familiar husky voice came.

"Mom?..." Ava said just above a whisper.

She didn't quite think as far as to what she'd say if Regina answered.

"Ava…" Regina breathed her name

"Where are you? I want to see you" Ava quickly stated before she lost her train of thought – or her want to see the woman who'd just – almost- killed her little brother- granted, it wasn't _meant_ for him.

"I'm…under my father's mausoleum" Regina replied hesitantly.

"Under what?" Ava replied with her regular tone of teenage cheek.

"My father's mausoleum" Regina repeated.

"Like, underground …in a cemetery?"

"Yes…" Regina replied awkwardly.

"Gross…but okay, how do I get there?"

"Tell you what, go home and I'll meet you there."

"I'm already here"

Within a couple of seconds, Regina was standing in front of Ava, and a cloud of purple smoke slowly faded into the air.

Ava raised an eyebrow.

"Convenient" she stated, trying to keep the mood light, and not think about the fact that this, her mom, was the Evil Queen.

"It comes in handy sometimes" Regina said smiling awkwardly.

"Well, we should probably head inside before an angry mob heads your way" Ava said, unsure herself if she was joking or completely serious.

Both woman walked inside and sat at the dining table.

After a moment of silence, Ava spoke up.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you at the hospital.."

"don't apologize, you had every right."

"Well, yeah I did, but…" Ava sighed.

"I don't even know what I'm trying to say" she said through a small laugh.

"Just say what you feel, I can take it."

"That's the thing. I don't know what I feel. I mean, I love you and I hate you at the same time. I despise what you did to Henry – and what you planned on doing to Emma – and every other single horrible thing you've ever done – especially not doing anything for me when rumple was…"

Ava forced herself to look up from the table which she had suddenly found very interesting- to look into her mother's eyes.

A fresh set of tears streamed down her face.

Regina simply put a hand on Ava's and nodded.

She wanted Ava to keep going -and she did.

"that's what hurt the most." She finished with a sigh

After a moment of though, she continued.

"But, the thing is- I love the person I got to know – before I remembered who I was. I love Regina Mills but I hate the Evil Queen, and it kills me because you're the same person - so if I want one, I have to have the other, and if I don't want the other, I can't have _you._"

Ava let out a small sob.

Regina's darkened heart broke all over again at her daughters words.

She composed herself and finally spoke up.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to prove to you that I'm no longer the Evil Queen. I'm just Regina. Just Mom."

Ava smiled up at the woman.

"A clean slate…I'd really like that" She replied smiling through her tears.

"I want to redeem myself Ava. For you, for Henry..." Regina sighed, realizing that only one of her children has forgiven her.

"He'll come round" Ava whispered as if reading her mother's mind.

"You're his mom"

"so is Emma"

"Yeah, I know that – but he can't turn his back on someone whose raised and loved him for 10 years – he loves you – whether he wants to admit it right now or not. He will come back, we'll figure it out."

"How did you grow up to be so smart?" Regina asked smiling through her own tears

"I've _always _been smart" she replied jokingly (even though it was the truth) "but I'm definitely not grown up" she finished- slightly embarrassed when remembering last night's antics – they seemed like distant memories with everything going on –so much so that Ava had forgotten that she felt like absolute crap.

"You're still grounded by the way" Regina stated in a motherly tone.

"I figured" Ava replied rolling her eyes.

Regina shook her head and smiled at her immature teenage daughter. Things were looking up.

* * *

**FOR NOOOOW *evil laughter* ;)** **haha! well there's chapter 13! Hope you enjoyed :) So sorry about the wait! Had alot on my plate and couldn't find time to write D: Speaking of- updates will probably have bigger gaps between them now because i've got a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks so yeah.. Sorry! Anywhoooooo feel free to leave me some reviews! I love reading them :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

* * *

"How did you grow up to be so smart?" Regina asked smiling through her own tears

"I've _always _been smart" she replied jokingly (even though it was the truth) "but I'm definitely not grown up" she finished- slightly embarrassed when remembering last night's antics – they seemed like distant memories with everything going on –so much so that Ava had forgotten that she felt like absolute crap.

"You're still grounded by the way" Regina stated in a motherly tone.

"I figured" Ava replied rolling her eyes.

Regina shook her head and smiled at her immature teenage daughter. Things were looking up.

* * *

After about an hour of enjoying each other's company, Ava decided she'd head over to the apartment to talk with Emma, Snow and Charming about her living arrangements.

She knew they wanted her to stay at the apartment –just as a safety precaution, which _was _understandable, but Ava just wanted to stay at home.

"Hey, so, I'm gonna go to the apartment for a while, but I'll be back later. I just need to talk to everyone and let them know I'm ok and what's happening." She told her mother.

Regina insisted on driving her to the apartment, but Ava didn't want to risk having her out in the open with so many people wanting her head.

"I'll be fine walking, don't worry" Ava said as she stood from her place at the dining table.

"Okay, but be safe and don't talk to strangers" Regina said as a cliché mother would.

Ava rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

Just before pulling the front door closed behind her, Ava finally replied with a playful "yes _mom_".

* * *

Ava really enjoyed walking.

It was how she got away from Rumple back in the Enchanted forest (though never for long periods of time).

He always made her walk long distances to get resources he needed for his potions.

Ava – well, she went by Belle then, but preferred to stick with Ava- never had a problem with this because it allowed her to escape the misery of his dark castle- even if it was only for a short while.

While thinking about her past life, Ava stumbled into someone.

"Oh I'm sor-" she began and stopped when she saw who it was.

"Ava…" Nathan breathed.

Ava rolled her eyes.

"Look, I don't have time for this" she stated knowing full well what he was going to try and do – try and apologize for what she saw at the party.

"Please, just let me explain.."

"There's nothing to explain. It's fine, honestly. You don't like me and I don't like you." She lied.

Nathan didn't believe a word she said, but due to the glare he received, he decided he'd let her go.

But not before he blurted out a small, and rather pathetic apology.

"I'm sorry for what you saw"

"Sorry for what I saw, but not for what you did? Nice.." Ava cut in sarcastically as she moved past him.

Though Ava couldn't see it, Nathan turned around to watch her leave.

She could feel his eyes clinging to her back. She thought- If he liked her this much, why did he kiss that girl - what was her name again?

Oh yeah, Charlotte.

* * *

In no time, Ava had reached the apartment which now belonged to the Charming's collectively.

She walked up the stairs and towards the door.

It only took a few seconds after the first knock for the door to be opened by Snow.

"Oh Ava!" She brought the teenager into a tight embrace.

"Jeez…lady…I can't…breathe" Ava said in an over dramatic tone.

Snow giggled as she pulled away. "Sorry" she then replied shyly.

"I was just…"

"Worried?" Ava replied mockingly before she continued"Are you ever not?" she grinned.

"Hey!" Henry pushed his way past his grandmother and practically threw himself into Ava's arms.

"Hey kid, you have no idea how glad I am to see you out of that damn hospital bed." She said smiling from ear to ear at her completely healthy little brother.

"She did it! She broke the curse!" He shouted excitedly.

Ava looked up to Emma.

"I know". Ava smiled at Emma, who returned the gesture.

Snow spoke up once more. "Come on in, I'll make us all some hot chocolate"

* * *

After everyone at the table had finished their drinks, Snow got up and took all the cups to the sink.

It was only Snow, Emma Henry and Ava there at the time –as Charming had gone out to get his sword from Rumplestiltskin.

Emma seemed to be a lot more relaxed then she was at the hospital and Ava waited until Snow headed towards her bedroom and was out of earshot before she asked "How are you feeling?" with a sympathetic smile.

Emma smiled and tilted her head slightly. She then whispered.

"To be honest, it's a little – actually no, It's unbelievably weird, but I-I don't know, it just kinda feels…right, I guess"

Ava smiled, then joked "see, I was right – I _am_ older than you, therefore _you_ should have to listen to _me_" She grinned cheekily.

"Yeah right kid, you still have the mind and body of a teenager, plus I'm sheriff –so either way, I'm the boss" Emma winked as Ava rolled her eyes.

Emma then noticed Henry was playing a game of snake on Mary-Mar- Damn it- Snows- phone.

"Hey Henry, can I have a game" she said innocently, but Ava knew she had something else up her sleeve.

Playing along Ava asked "Snake? Really?"

Emma looked at her.

"No – I had a better idea."

Emma fiddled with the phone for a while before handing it over to Ava.

"Check the contacts list" she stated simply, unable to hide a smirk.

Ava did as she was told and couldn't help but snort when she saw what Emma had done.

She had changed every person's picture in Snows contact list to a picture of their corresponding Disney characters.

"She's going to flip out and It's going to be fantastic" Ava stated.

"I have another idea" Ava then began playing around with the phones settings.

After a couple of minutes, she had changed the ringtones for each individual contact to that of a song from their respective movies.

She showed Emma what she has done and they both began to giggle.

Henry had no idea what the two women were laughing about, but he enjoyed simply being in the presence of his family and enjoyed watching them interact.

"What on earth are you two giggling at?" Snow came back into the room.

"Uh – nothing..." Ava responded a little too quickly.

Snow eyed both girls and decided she'd leave it for now.

She sat back down at the table and elegantly linked her hands together before placing them on the table – while looking up at Ava.

"Ok, so – about living arrangements, I know it's going to get pretty cramped in here, but – "

Ava interrupted her

"Oh, that's kind of why I came.." she said, remembering the discussion she had with Regina earlier.

Snows eyebrows rose –as did Emma's and Henrys.

"I- well – I was thinking, that – maybe – I would just stay at Reginas.."

"Ava –" Emma began to speak but was stopped by a sound which made her and Ava begin to chuckle.

"Some day, my prince will come. Some day we'll meet again - and away to his castle we'll go - to be happy forever I know" rang through

the apartment and Snow looked around confused for a moment before her eyes landed on her phone on the table.

'David' - Decline or Answer.

A picture of the prince from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in the place where Charming's picture would appear when he (as David Nolan) called.

Snow looked to both women who put on innocent smiles and shook her head before answering.

"Charming, is everything ok?"

The woman went silent for a moment, listening intently to the man on the line.

"Yeah ok I'll send Henry down."

The woman then hung up the phone, put it on the table and looked at Henry.

"Henry sweetie, would you go down stairs and help your grandfather bring up some things for me."

"Yeah Sure!"Henry smiled at his grandmother.

He didn't mind helping out –in fact, he loved the idea of being with his gramps- even if it was only to help bring up some stuff from the truck.

The boy left and Snow turned to glare at Emma.

"Really?" She raised a single eyebrow - and tried to sound serious.

"Oh come on! It was funny – Plus, I only did half of it – it was Ava's idea to change the ringtones"

Snow then turned her glare to Ava.

"Was it now?"

Ava looked down at the table pretending to act like a child who was ashamed of them self after being scolded by their parent.

She then looked up and said "We changed my picture and ringtone too"

She couldn't contain her laughter any longer.

After a fit of laughter enveloped the room, Ava spoke once more.

"You know what's funny? As Ava, my favorite movie has always been Beauty and The Beast – although the movies story line is way off"

Ava said this jokingly and only realised the seriousness of the statement when she saw the two woman looking at her with widened- sadness filled - eyes.

"Oh, I didn't mean –"

Lucky for Ava, Charming and Henry walked into the apartment – David carrying a long black case – with what was most likely to be his sword inside of it -while Henry carried a smaller box with a couple of random items in it.

Charming set the case on the floor and walked over to his wife who was now standing.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Hello my Queen"

Snow giggled before replying "Hello my love" then she went in for a kiss.

"Ew" Henry stated from where he was standing near the counter.

"Yeah, I'll second that" Emma said while moving away from where the canoodling couple stood.

"I'll third it" Ava then added laughing as the two deepened the kiss simply in spite of the three.

"All right, seriously guys, that's enough – I know I'm an adult but there are some things people never need to see their parents doing – canoodling like a couple of lovesick teenagers is on that list"

"I'm here too…" Henry piped up.

Snow and Charming both smiled on each other's lips at Emma calling them her parents and snuck one final kiss before finally pulling apart.

Snow sat back down next to Emma and playfully nudged her shoulder.

"Don't mess with my stuff and I'll consider keeping your father and I's lovey-dovey-ness to a minimum – but I make no promises."

Emma made a face before giving in.

"Fine" she said, rolling her eyes.

"What is this stuff?" Henry spoke up from his place on the floor as he went through the box.

"Just a couple of other things Gold took from us" Charming replied.

Henry pulled out the small glass unicorn mobile.

"Cute" he commented, as Snow walked over and took it in her hands.

"This was yours" she said – directed at Emma, but she kept her eyes on the delicately crafted object.

"It used to hang above the crib in your nursery." She stated, tears welling up in her eyes.

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to take the spotlight off of herself.

"Yeah, maybe you could use it again if you ever have another baby" – The statement came as a shock for both Snow and Charming who shared a look before Charming spoke up.

"No, Emma – it's yours."

"No, I insist. What goods it going to be for a grown woman anyway" she stated bluntly, not realizing the impact her words would have on her parents.

Luckily for her, Ava stepped in – "sorry to interrupt, but uh… I might head back to Regina's- she's probably worrying since I've been gone for a while…"

"I'll take you" Emma offered a little too quickly – her relief noticed by everyone as Ava nodded gratefully.

Emma was never good with emotional stuff and although she wasn't thrilled by the idea of Ava staying with Regina, the girl was right. Regina wouldn't hurt her - and she is still her mother. Not to mention giving Ava a ride would allow her an easy escape – for now anyway.

* * *

As the car pulled into Regina's driveway, Ava thanked Emma for the ride.

"If you need anything – and I mean anything at all, you call me ok? Anytime, day or night -I mean it Ava."

"I will- stop worrying so much, you sound like Mary-Mar.. Snow" Ava corrected herself mid sentence.

Emma rolled her eyes making Ava laugh.

"I'll see soon, tell Henry and the others the same" Ava smiled before getting out of the car.

She walked to the front door and turned to wave one final time at Emma.

Pushing through the door, she yelled for Regina.

"Mom, I'm back"

No reply.

'Weird' Ava thought.

She had a quick look around the bottom level of the mansion, before she padded her way up the stairs to check the rooms.

'She must have been here somewhere' Ava reminded herself.

She checked the bathroom, and when there was no sign of her, she headed towards Regina's bedroom.

The door was shut, so Ava put her hand on the knob, turned it and pushed forward.

The site she came across was one which she was definitely not expecting.

"Oh my god…" she squeaked at the scene.

Her ears had failed her just minutes ago, but they were definitely working now.

Her mother was making noises she had never heard, nor ever wanted to hear again.

"Ava!" Regina then screeched while pulling a blanket up, and over her own and someone else's naked bodies.

"What the hell's going on? Wait, never mind..don't answer that!" Ava stated quickly, with her eyes squeezed shut as she backed out of the room.

"Sorry, I should have knocked…" she said as she darted to her own room and shut the door.

She sat on her bed and breathed.

"What the actual fuck"

* * *

**muahahahahahha! thoughts? This is a bit of a random little chapter.. I'm kind of lacking in the idea department at the moment, hence the late update - i've had part of this chapter written for a while, but not even I know where i'm going with this sooooo... roll with it ok haha! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I (unfortunately) do not own Once Upon a Time/the characters (except for Ava - shes mine)

**Warning: **Coarse language

Apologizing for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in advance. (just in case)

So this will most likely be my last chapter for Ava! (I've got alot on with school and other things at the moment and just don't really have time - along as the fact that i've lost my spark a little bit, so yeah..) A massive thank you to all my dedicated followers and reviewers, favouriters (i know thats not a word but who cares I'm emotional ok hahaha) and just everyone who has taken the time to read my story! You guys all rock! Anywhoo on with the story, I hope you all enjoy this little bit and the way it plays out :)

* * *

Where we left off- "Ava!" Regina then screeched while pulling a blanket up, and over her own and someone else's naked bodies.

"What the hell's going on? Wait, never mind..don't answer that!" Ava stated quickly, with her eyes squeezed shut as she backed out of the room.

"Sorry, I should have knocked…" she said as she darted to her own room and shut the door.

She sat on her bed and breathed.

"What the actual fuck"

* * *

Regina sprung from her bed and dashed around her room, putting on the various items of clothing she had discarded earlier.

"Get changed, and stay here – I'll be back in a couple of minutes" she said to the man who was now sitting up with his back against the headboard with a confused look on his face.

"Who was that?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"I will explain when I come back" she said smiling, before stealing another kiss.

She left her bedroom and padded down the hall towards Ava's.

* * *

The door was shut, and Regina really had no idea how she was going to handle this situation.

She straightened her skirt, and then closed her eyes- taking in a deep breath, before hesitantly knocking on the door.

She received no response, but opened the door just enough to see that her daughter was indeed in there.

Regina sighed.

Ava sat with her knees pulled up –her earphones in – and on full ball. Ava had a magazine in her hands and tried to make out like she didn't realise her mom was in the room.

Regina knew that Ava was choosing to purposely avoid any form of communication.

Hell, she'd pulled the same trick with her own mother at one stage – minus the earphones of course.

She slowly walked over to the bed then sat on the edge, putting her hand on the young girl's knee.

Ava pulled her leg away at the touch, but then locked eyes with mother.

Regina signaled for her to take out her earphones.

Ava put the magazine to her side, then took out one of her earphones and rolled her eyes.

"Can we just…like, not do this" she said shaking her head as she put her earphone back in and closed her eyes.

Regina then pulled both buds out herself and replied

"We're doing this whether you like it or not - you need to let me explain…what you saw"

Regina decided was the best way to put it.

Ava began speaking once again

"Look, you really don't need to – you're an adult, and you can…"

Regina interrupted by placing her index finger on Ava's lips, silencing her.

"No, I'm speaking." She said in a firm, authoritative voice.

She pulled her hand back and began to talk again.

"That man you saw in…my bedroom" Regina sighed – this was a lot harder and more awkward than she'd hoped explaining things to her daughter would be.

"He's an old flame." She finished her sentence - taking a quick second to study her daughter's reaction.

So far, so good.

Regina tried to find the best way to say what she needed to, but the task was proving difficult.

She decided she would just be straight forward and get it out there.

"Look, his name is Daniel and he died many, many years ago- but was recently brought back to life by Dr Whale – who goes by Dr. Frankenstein in our world."

Ava looked up at her.

"So…you're telling slept with a dude who's kinda dead but not reall-"

"He's also your father, Ava" Regina cut in, avoiding her statement while "ripping off the band-aid" at the same time.

Ava stared at her with a blank expression for a couple of seconds before snapping out of her trance and picking up her jaw which had hit the floor.

"Come again?" she said, still not able to comprehend what her mother had said.

"Your father" Regina repeated once more, and Ava simply sat for a moment.

"Does he know…about me? About Henry? About everything?"Ava blurted out quickly.

So many questions needing answers filled her head.

"Not yet, but I'm going to tell him right after this" Regina smiles.

"So.. is he staying here now?" Ava questioned.

"If that's okay with you"

"It's your house, your decision"

"It's _our_ house now Ava. If you're not comfortable with this-"

"No, no, it's fine…this is just, you know…a lot to take in." Ava replied now attempting to smile up at her mother.

"I think I'm going to go have a very long and very hot shower – and give you time to explain everything to… Daniel?"

Ava stated as she began to stand.

Regina nodded then quickly grabbed her hand , squeezing it gently.

"I love you so much Ava, and he will too." Ava simply smiled and pulled her hand from the older woman's.

"Oh and Ava.." Regina spoke just as she was heading out the door.

"Don't take too long in the shower, save me some hot water"

Ava just laughed then replied. "I'll think about it" she sniggered before finishing "and I love you too"

She quickly headed straight into the bathroom without giving Regina the opportunity to respond.

She closed the door and let out a huge sigh.

She turned the shower on, and steam quickly enveloped the room.

Ava stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection.

So much had happened to her in the past few weeks, she never really had a moment to herself to collect and properly register her thoughts.

There's always one thing after another and she couldn't seem to catch a break.

Just as she thought things were calming down, another storm hit -she had just walked in on her mother – and dead but not dead father for crying out loud.

On the upside, things couldn't get more complicated, could they?

With nothing wooden around to touch to reverse it, Ava probably just jinxed herself.

She let out another heavy sigh as she undressed herself, and stepped into the shower.

The hot water quickly danced across her skin, taking with it some of the stress that had been haunting her these past few days.

* * *

"She's my what?!" Daniel spoke loudly then quickly let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

Regina simply nodded, telling the man he had heard her correctly.

He sat quietly for a moment- something Ava would do before slowing saying "My daughter" aloud, letting the idea of having a child – of what? Sixteen - sink in.

"Is there anything else I should know? Any more children?" Daniel then laughed - partly serious, partly joking.

Regina laughed at Daniels sudden playfulness.

"Well... I have an adoptive son named Henry, but things with him are…complicated at the moment, long story short, he's currently living with his birth mother and grandparents and not me because of the horrible things that I have done in the past" she stated pausing for a moment to take in Daniels reaction.

He now knew of her fairytale identity of the evil queen– whom she swore to him she was no longer.

"and regret everyday." She finished.

The sadness which filled her eyes at the mere thought of the boy made his heart break.

He understood why the boy – Henry she said his name was, right? -wasn't living there – Regina had just told him of the horrific things she'd done as "the evil queen", and although he certainly didn't condone anything she had done, he still loved the woman in front of him, and now they have a daughter together.

Trying to push the many thoughts in his head to the side, he changed the path of the conversation.

"So, Ava huh? That's a beautiful name. What's she like?"

"It is – a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. She's so smart Daniel. She's funny, and gorgeous. She has a huge heart. Henry loves her, as does everyone else. No words are great enough to completely describe how wonderful she is. Our daughter Daniel, she's amazing."

Regina babbled in awe of what a strong-minded and amazing child the two of them produced.

"You think she'll like me?" He questioned, sounding worried that he couldn't be the father the young girl deserved.

" Like? She'll love you Daniel, almost as much as I do-"

Daniels lips crashed into hers before she could finish her sentence.

Regina's lips quickly parted and their tongues mingled in a perfectly matched rhythm.

It felt like – no, it_ was- _ a life time ago since they were able to share these intimate moments, and Regina nor Daniel was willing to let them go ever again.

The moment was however, eventually broken by a small and hesitant sounding knock on the door.

Regina pulled herself away from Daniel as she got up off the bed and headed towards the door.

She pulled it open to reveal a freshly showered Ava, whose skin still had a slight tinge of pink from the hot water of the shower.

Regina looked into the eyes of her daughter and the two shared a conversation without words.

Ava nodded at Regina's 'are you ready?' look, and Regina took a gentle hold of her hand before pulling her into the bedroom and in front of Daniel, who had now stood from the bed.

Father and daughter locked eyes and tears began to pool in Daniels.

"You look so much like your mother" he let out, just above a whisper.

Ava smiled awkwardly, and tried to lighten the mood with humor, as she usually would.

"Yeah, I get that a lot – all though I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not" she said jokingly - a jab a Regina always got a snicker from everyone else.

Not from Daniel though.

He was in too much of a trance to notice the joke as her stared at Ava, trying to take her in and memorize everything about her – the shade of her hair and the colour of her eyes - just like her mothers.

The facial expressions she made as she spoke – those, well…they were definitely something she inherited from him.

Ava began fidgeting while she felt as if she were under a microscope, being examined.

"So…" Ava began to speak and break the silence.

Regina seemed to be just as lost in thought as Daniel, and if no one else was going to say anything, Ava was going to.

"you're my dad?" she asked the man who had moved closer to her, and was now only a few feet away.

as she awaited a reply, Ava silently cursed herself for asking such a silly question.

"I guess I am kid." He said smiling, finally coming out from the bubble he had created for himself and taking the girl in his arms.

Ava stiffened at the contact at first, but then melted into her father- her true fathers- embrace.

Regina shortly joined the two and although It was a fairly awkward family hug, it felt right.

It felt like _home._

**FIN**

* * *

**Sooooo there we go! Did anyone expect it to be Daniel? Did i manage to go from that random awkward end scene in the previous chapter into a more heart warming awkward end scene in this chapter? haha! Well once again, thank you to all you wonderful people who inspired me to keep writing this! (honestly, when I wrote the first couple of chapters I had no idea I'd end up writing 15 parts with over 35000 words!) Thank you all for reading- I've really appreciated your kind words and thoughts and everything over the past couple of months :) This was my first ever proper fanfic and I'm glad so many people liked it :) You're all amazing 333 Farewell for now lovelys! **


End file.
